


Chase After the Clock Hands

by todolist



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Magical Realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-07-10 21:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 43,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15958205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/todolist/pseuds/todolist
Summary: Ten likes his life. He's married to his high school sweetheart, lives next door to his best friend, and gets to spend his days playing with little kids. In short, he's happy.The last things he expects are ominous phone calls from an unknown woman and a scrawny sixteen year old at the door.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh would you look at that I'm back.
> 
> Title taken from Super Junior-D&E's "Growing Pains"

Johnny's only just slid a hand up Ten's shirt when the phone rings.

"Fucking ignore it," Ten hisses, forcibly turning Johnny's head back to him. "Come on, baby. We haven't fucked in weeks and I need to get laid," he smirks suggestively, arching his hips up to prove his point.

"Agreed," Johnny murmurs, a smile tugging at his lips as he bends down to kiss Ten again.

Unfortunately, the bliss only lasts for twenty seconds. Right as Ten finishes undoing the buttons on Johnny's shirt and is about to slide it off, the shrill scream of the phone occurs again.

Ten glares up at the man on top of him. "I swear to god if it's Tae I'll murder him," he grumbles, getting up and stomping out of the bedroom.

Now that he doesn't have Johnny to distract him, the situation strikes Ten as rather odd. There's a dial phone landline in the apartment that Johnny bought at a thrift store a few years back, but nobody ever uses it. Ten and Johnny both have cell phones, and they never give out the home phone number to anyone. It's technically supposed to be used for emergencies, but Ten's always viewed it as an accessory more than anything else.

So why was someone calling on the landline now?

It's probably nothing, Ten thinks as he makes his way over to the living room. Just some commercial calling random numbers. Definitely.

He picks up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello," a smooth, unfamiliar female voice greets. "Is this Mr. Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul speaking?"

Ten blinks. "Uh," he pauses. If it weren't already bizarre enough that someone had called the landline in the first place, why was this woman saying his full name? Ever since the wedding, Ten registered himself as 'Seo Ten' in Seoul to prevent confusion with his long name. Furthermore, how the hell could this lady pronounce his name correctly? She certainly didn’t sound Thai.

Remembering that he's still on the phone, Ten clears his throat awkwardly and says, "Yes, that's me. I just, uh, go by Ten though. No need for the full name."

"Ah. That's wonderful, Ten," the woman replies calmly. Somehow, she sounds genuinely pleased to know his nickname, like it actually is so wonderful to hear.

"Listen," Ten sighs. "I don't want whatever you're selling, so let's not waste each other's time. I'm kind of busy right now..." he trails off when Johnny emerges from the bedroom in all his shirtless glory. The look in Johnny's eyes is curious, and he mouths a quick  _are you okay?_  to his husband. Ten waves reassuringly in response.

The woman laughs. "I'm not trying to sell you anything, Ten. I just have a message I need to deliver."

Ten furrows his brow. "Excuse me?"

"Sadly, I have to go," she sighs sadly. "But just remember, Ten: You will have a visitor very soon."

That's all it takes for Ten to shove the handset back down on the switch.

"Everything okay?" Johnny comes up to him and peers down at him in concern. 

Ten snaps out of his trance and smiles, says, “Oh, it’s nothing. Just some weird commercial.”’

He saunters back over to the bedroom and pauses under the doorframe, turning back to seductively raise a brow. “Pick up where we left off?”

It’s not like Johnny can say no to that.

 

Johnny has long since dozed off while Ten rests his head on his husband’s chest, absentmindedly tracing patterns with his fingers on the tan expanse of skin. It’s well past midnight and Ten has work the next morning, but he can’t fall asleep.

When Ten first met Johnny in middle school, they’d been round cheeked and small. Ten had just transferred from Bangkok to Seoul, whereas Johnny came from Chicago in the States. Naturally the two foreign transfer students were paired together, and since then, Ten has never let him go.

Then, in high school, Johnny grew taller—so much taller that Ten had to crane his head all the way back to see his face—and lost the baby fat in his cheeks. His jawline sharpened and his voice dropped, whereas Ten remained short and soft in the face. But he liked it that way, because every time Johnny enveloped him in his arms made him feel safe and loved. 

They started dating their senior year, and despite going off to different universities and Johnny furthering his education in law school, they made it work. It’s been almost two years since they got married and there’s not much more Ten can ask for.

Suddenly, Johnny stirs. “Hey,” he murmurs, running his hand up and down Ten’s back. “Can’t sleep?”

A stab of guilt hits Ten in the chest. Johnny’s been busy all the time these days—it’s not easy to be a rising attorney—and doesn’t get enough sleep as it is.

“I’m okay,” Ten replies. He softly kisses the hollow in Johnny’s throat and snuggles back up against his chest. “You should sleep. Those clients can’t defend themselves,” he teases.

It doesn’t take more than that for Johnny to fall back asleep. And some time later, Ten eventually drifts off too.

 

“Jaeminnie! Get back here!” Taeyong cries out in fear.

Ten whips around to see Jaemin, one of the four year olds, climbing up a bookshelf with no regard to his safety. Instinctively, Ten snatches Renjun out of Taeyong’s arms and lets the other man run over to pull Jaemin back down to safety.

“You little rascal,” Taeyong sighs, puckering his bottom lip in thought. “What are we going to do with you, Jaeminnie?”

“No snack time for him!” Renjun pipes up as a suggestion.

Ten snickers and tickles Renjun’s sides. “Mind your own business, Injunnie,” he jokes.

“Oh, where did Chenle go?” Taeyong says, distress evident in his voice as he nervously glances all around the room. “I must have lost track of him when Jaemin ran off.”

“Here he is!” Park Sooyoung, their coworker, exclaims. She lifts the toddler up from where he was hiding behind the desk. 

Sooyoung shoots Taeyong and Ten sympathetic glances. “I’ll take these guys outside for a bit. You two look like you need a break.”

“Bless you, Sooyoungie,” Ten kneels in front of her dramatically. “What would we ever do without you?”

“Die,” she deadpans.

As Sooyoung leads the kids to the playground, Taeyong sighs loudly and flops against Ten. “Jaemin really can’t be stopped these days. He and Renjun are getting especially troublesome,” he laments.

Ten nudges him with his elbow. “Hey, who’s the one who always says kids will be kids? How’re you ever gonna have your own if you’re already tired from Jaemin?” He points out.

Taeyong mumbles something indiscernible, which is more than enough to make Ten suspicious.

The thing about Taeyong is that no matter how cool and unaffected he tries to act, Ten always sees right through him. They’ve been friends since university and formed a deep bond through being roommates—once, while high off his mind, Ten opened their dorm window and shouted to everyone that Lee Taeyong was the bitch he loved most in the world, except totally platonically. Taeyong was his first friend to meet Johnny, and Ten was also the first to know about Taeyong’s huge crush on Jaehyun.

Speaking of Jaehyun…

A click goes off in Ten’s head. “You haven’t said anything yet?” Ten demands with shocked eyes. “Yong, you’ve only been talking about this for months now!”

Taeyong flushes. “It’s not that easy, okay!” He insists. “Look, I’ve been waiting for the right time to ask, but the right time just doesn’t seem to exist. Jaehyunnie’s just barely finished his thesis and now he’s gotten promoted at the lab. He’s working so hard all the time that I feel bad bringing up kids now,” Taeyong flutters his hands around in a panic.

Ten peers over at his best friend. Taeyong’s always been skinny and small and kind of looks like he could be scared by anything, but now he looks downright sad on top of all that. 

Taeyong loves children. He took up the job at the daycare because he wants nothing more than to help and adore the kids. The first time they’d locked themselves up in their dorm and gotten drunk together, Taeyong had not only confessed his huge crush on freshman Jung Jaehyun but also his desire to have a giant family of dimpled, doe-eyed babies with him. Ten had been so drunk he’d literally cried at the thought, not bothering to point out that it was a little creepy for a junior to be having such thoughts about a freshman. But whatever.

Getting Jaehyun to go out with Taeyong wasn’t an issue, and neither was keeping their relationship alive after nine years. The real issue is that Jaehyun is smart. Ridiculously smart. The guy double majored in chemistry and physics, graduated a year early, completed a masters in two years, then proceeded to finish a PhD in four while he already had a job at some prestigious lab. At just twenty-seven years old, Jaehyun's spent his entire adult life dedicated to furthering his education and craft.

“I just don’t want to bother him now,” Taeyong continues with a sad smile. “He’s been working so hard ever since he was eighteen, and now he finally gets a break. Well, kind of. He’s got his job but at least he doesn’t have any sides stuff to handle.”

“Just watch him start on a second PhD tomorrow,” Ten teases.

Taeyong doesn’t show any sign of hearing him, already too lost in his own thoughts. “And it’s not like he’s been a bad boyfriend. He holed himself up a lot to finish his thesis, but he could always tell whenever I was having a rough day or just needed some company. He’d drop everything immediately and come cook or cuddle with me. Jaehyunnie’s been trying his best to balance everything, but it’s hard for him, too. I don’t know if I’ll ever find the right time to mention adoption.”

“Hey,” Ten shoves him roughly. “Dude, you’re only twenty-nine. You’re not even thirty yet, and Jae’s even younger. It’s not like you’re running out of time.”

“I guess you’re right,” Taeyong says. Then, he asks, “But what about you, Ten?”

Ten blinks. “Huh? What about me?”

Taeyong rolls his eyes in exasperation. “You’re _married._ You’ve been married for two years. Have you and Johnny talked about kids yet?”

Ah. Right. Of course. Kids.

“Not really,” Ten shrugs. “Like I said, we’re still young. We don’t have a biological clock to worry about like old Joohyun-noona keeps complaining about, so Johnny and I are just taking things as they go.”

The way Taeyong tilts his head says he doesn’t quite believe everything Ten says, but he’ll give him the benefit of the doubt this time anyway. He smirks mischievously, says, “I’m totally telling Joohyun-noona you called her old.”

“Lee Taeyong you fucking snitch!” Ten roars.

 

Here’s the thing: Ten _has_ thought an awful lot about kids, but it’s more complicated than that.

Ten loves children, too. Not as much as Taeyong, because no one can love kids as much as he does. But Ten adores them and has always dreamed of having his own family.

He’s fairly sure that Johnny wants kids, too. Scratch that, Ten knows for a fact that Johnny wants children. Johnny has a busy life and rough hours as a prosecuting attorney, but whenever he can, he’ll always drop by the daycare and play with the kids. Ten’s seen the look in Johnny’s eyes whenever he stacks blocks with Jeno or plays hide and seek with Chenle. In short, he knows Johnny wants to be a father—he knows Johnny is meant to be a father.

The problem is that Ten also knows Johnny wants to have biological kids.

Back in high school, before Johnny admitted he wasn’t quite as straight as he thought he was, he used to tell Ten all about his future plans. How he would marry a girl as pretty as Im Yoonah and have three kids. Two girls and a boy, to be exact. They’d move back to Chicago and spend their weekends eating ice cream and pizza next to the Bean, and his children would all share his love for parrot imitations.

And then Johnny came out as bi, made out with Ten a few times, asked Ten out, then married Ten. Now they live in an apartment in Seoul, and while Ten never fails to laugh at Johnny’s parrot impressions, he doesn’t quite share the same passion for making them himself.

So really, none of Johnny’s original plans came true. Except Ten did like to believe he’s prettier than Im Yoonah, even if that was a challenge.

Ten’s sure that if he mentions the idea of adoption, Johnny would agree without any hesitation. He knows that Johnny would love any child regardless of whether they’re biologically related to him or not. But sometimes, Ten feels like he’s the one who’s been holding his husband back from his dreams. Yes, they were just high school fantasies from when Johnny was a considerably different person who wanted considerably different things. But it can get hard not to wish things like genetics and biology can be changed.

So for now, Ten doesn’t plan on having the adoption talk quite yet. He’s only twenty-eight, and Johnny’s just a year older. They have all the time in the world.

 

Ten’s in the midst of pouring himself a glass of wine when the phone rings again.

He freezes. It’s definitely the landline. His cell phone is customized to a Britney Spears song—or Johnny saying “Oh daddy” whenever he calls—and not only is Johnny still at work so it can't be his phone, but that noise is way too loud and harsh to belong to anything else. Everything about the teal dial phone looks outdated and out of place, and that sound is unlike anything Ten’s ever heard.

The ringing doesn’t stop. Setting the bottle aside, Ten grips his glass of wine as he makes his way over to the living room. The teal phone is still ringing even though, if he remembers correctly, it’s supposed to stop after about eight rings. It’s been well over fifteen now.

Gingerly, Ten picks up the handset and presses it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hello, Ten. It’s me again.”

He nearly drops both the phone and his wine but somehow holds on to both. “You?” He replies blankly, too shocked to process anything.

The woman’s voice is just as even and serene as the night before. “Yes, it’s me. I believe I called yesterday? I’m terribly sorry if I interrupted anything.”

“Uh, no problem,” Ten resists from saying she’d almost ruined his only chance at getting laid in weeks. “But why are you calling now? I told you I’m not interested in whatever you’re selling.”

“And I told you I’m not trying to sell anything,” she responds.

Suppressing a sigh, Ten moves the handset away from his face and downs his whole glass of wine at once. If he’s going to deal with this strange woman, he most certainly won’t be doing it sober.

“Alright,” he says into the phone. “Well if you’re not selling anything, then why are you calling me again? Why did you even call in the first place?”

The woman laughs lightly. “That’s not important right now, Ten.”

_Um, yeah, it seems really important right now, actually_ , Ten wants to retort. Instead, he says, “You’re really not making any sense right now, Miss.”

“I suppose I’m not,” she agrees.

“Okay,” Ten rakes a hand aggressively through his hair. “This conversation is going nowhere. I really think I should hang up now.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I have some information for you.”

Ten exhales loudly. “Why should I believe you? I don’t even know your name, and for all I know you could be some creepy stalker.”

“Hmm,” the woman muses. “I can’t tell you my name just yet, but I promise I’m not a stalker.”

“Fine. You aren’t a stalker. But what’s this information you have?”

Ten would be lying if he said he weren’t intrigued. There was no reason at all for him to trust this weird woman who talked like she was born in another era and had basically one emotion, but for some reason, he couldn’t hang up the phone.

“That’s better,” the woman remarks. “Once again I must leave soon, but just remember that you have a visitor coming soon. He should arrive in, oh, about a week from now. Maybe even less, if you’re lucky.”

“Who the hell is this visitor?” Ten demands, his hold on the handset tightening. “Do I know him? Why is he just dropping by without asking in the first place?”

The woman laughs again. “Don’t worry about it, Ten. You’ll be just fine,” she says right before she hangs up.

 

Johnny blinks. “Ten, did you drink all of this?” He holds up the now empty wine bottle.

Ten mumbles an affirmative from his perch on the couch. He hasn’t stopped glaring at the landline since the woman hung up.

“Alright,” Johnny laughs in amusement. He sits down next to Ten and ruffles his hair, says, “Long day at work?”

“You could say that,” Ten replies cryptically, still not breaking eye contact with the phone.

“Well,” Johnny laces their fingers together. “If it makes you feel any better, I have the afternoon off tomorrow. Your shift ends in the morning, right? We can go get food with Taeyong and Jaehyun.”

Immediately, Ten perks up. “Really?” He whirls around excitedly. “You finally have a day off?”

“Just half a day, but it’s better than nothing,” Johnny smiles. 

His gaze is so, so warm that Ten can’t resist pouncing on him, all thoughts of the strange woman fading to the back of his mind.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Jaehyun apologizes as he hurriedly pulls out a chair. “Intern training today.”

Taeyong beams at him. “That’s okay, Hyunnie,” he says, reaching over for a peck on the lips.

Johnny laughs. “I bet all your interns are gonna quit after one day with you.”

“Excuse me!” Jaehyun responds indignantly. “I’m fucking brilliant, I’ll have you know that.”

“He really is,” Taeyong sighs dreamily, gazing at his boyfriend with hearts in his eyes.

Ten rolls his eyes as he sips his Americano. “Jaehyun, you’re a mad scientist and you know it.”

Jaehyun looks like he’s about to protest, but then he shrugs. “That’s pretty fair,” he admits.

Ever since college, the best way Ten’s been able to describe the younger man would be “super hot but super scattered”. Jaehyun is unfairly both ridiculously smart and ridiculously good looking with his tall frame, gentle face, and deep dimples, but he’s also a bit wacky. He once went through a phase during his sophomore year in which he always wore a lab coat around campus, and then he once took a joint, unrolled it, and examined its contents under a microscope. Jaehyun was always rushing everywhere, whether it be to honors quantum mechanics or to meet with a colleague to edit his thesis. He could lock himself in a lab for days on end and still not be bored. Sometimes, Ten wondered how and why Taeyong liked someone as bizarre as Jaehyun.

“Anyway,” Jaehyun says. “It’s been so long since we last hung out. What have you guys been up to?”

_Oh, you know. I’ve just been getting some really weird phone calls from a wacko woman, but otherwise I’m great._

Johnny groans. “Work is fucking killing me. I can’t go into too much detail, but this client is making things way harder than they need to be. He’s a major bitch,” he laments.

“Yikes,” Taeyong grimaces sympathetically. “That doesn’t sound fun. At least the kids are cute, so no matter how annoying they are you just can’t get mad at them.”

Ten snorts. “The other day I couldn’t tell if you were about to cry or scream at Jeno when he stole Jisung’s crackers.”

“Jisungie’s only two! I couldn’t let Jeno get away with stealing food from a baby!”

“Try working with teenage summer interns,” Jaehyun comments with a shudder. “They’re the actual worst. It’s like, I know they’re all smart, but some of them try way too hard to show it. I already know who the snakes are in my group.”

“Dude, I’ve never heard of an intern you’ve liked. I bet you just don’t like them because you think you’re smarter than them,” Johnny points out with a grin.

Jaehyun glowers. “I’ll have you know that I actually do like one of my interns for once. I think his name is Mike or Mick something. But yeah, he’s okay. One of the youngest kids, but he definitely seems like the smartest of the bunch.”

“He stands out so much yet you don’t bother learning his name,” Ten smiles, unable to resist teasing Jaehyun.

“You know I’m shitty with names,” Jaehyun rolls his eyes. “Good kid, though. He definitely has a future in science.”

“Anyway. Can we order already? I’m fucking starving.”

 

When the landline rings again, Ten storms over and snatches it up in anger. “What the fuck is it now?” He hisses.

“That’s not a very nice greeting, Ten,” the woman remarks. “What a shame. You’ve always been so polite.

“We’ve literally spoken twice,” Ten retorts flatly.

“Oh, has it only been twice? I could have sworn it was more than that. Funny how the time flies, isn’t it?”

Ten sighs in exasperation. “Can you just cut to the point, miss? Or like, just give me your name because that would makes things a lot easier.”

“Is your husband home?”

“What?” Ten freezes. How could this woman know about Johnny?

He takes a quick glance around the apartment even though he already knows that Johnny won’t get off work until much later. “No, he’s not home. But how do you know about him? You’re not doing a lot to convince me you’re not a stalker, you know.”

“I’ve already told you I’m not a stalker, Ten. I just have my ways of knowing things.”

_That totally doesn’t sound convincing at all_. “Right. sure.”

The woman sighs. When she speaks again, she sounds sad. “You love him, right?”

Of all things she could have said, that shocked Ten the most. Why was she asking this? What was she trying to do? Why was she doing any of this?

But somehow, he has a feeling that the woman wouldn’t respond to any of his questions. So he decides to tell the truth.

“I do,” he says. “I love him more than anything.”

“That’s good,” the woman replies. Ten can hear the smile in her voice. “I’m happy for you, Ten.”

Then she says, “And I hope that if there’s nothing else you can hold on to, you’ll always love him.”

Those are the last words she says before the line goes dead.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Johnny frets. He places a hand on Ten’s forehead in concern, says, “You’ve been looking really out of it these past few days.”

“I’m okay,” Ten insists with a smile. “I’ve just been tired, you know.”

Johnny doesn’t look too convinced, but he nods anyway.

As much as it hurts to hide something from his husband, the last thing Ten wants to do is tell Johnny about the bizarre phone calls. He doesn’t want to make him worry about something that’s most likely nothing more than a prank—although Ten does wonder what kind of person comes up with a prank like that. Johnny is stressed about enough things these days that he doesn’t need something dumb in the way.

With a sigh, Johnny settles down on the bed next to Ten and gently wraps an arm around him. “I’m sorry I’ve been so distant all the time,” he murmurs, staring Ten straight in the eyes. “I should be here more.”

“No no no, you’re perfectly fine,” Ten reassures. “Your job isn’t easy, and I get that. But I’m always here to support you.”

And really, he’s okay. He knows Johnny loves him, and that’s enough. 

Still, Johnny’s expression is guilty. “I wish I could be with you more often. You shouldn’t have to wait up for me for hours every day, or deal with my shitty schedule.”

“And you know just as well I do that I’m not going to stop loving you just because you’re busy,” Ten pokes Johnny on the forehead.

In a softer voice, he adds, “I do love you, Johnny. No matter what.”

Johnny responds by hugging him tightly to his chest. Ten curls his fingers into Johnny’s shirt and thinks that even if he loses everything, he’d still love him.

 

On Saturday, Ten wakes up early and manages to convince Johnny to join him in the shower. Then, he kisses Johnny goodbye as the latter heads off to finish some last minute details on his case. After lunch, Ten consumes himself in writing reports—at the daycare, each teacher has to write a monthly report on how each child is doing so the parents can feel involved—while taking occasional sips of a mimosa.

But of course, his peace is quickly broken by the shrill ringing of the landline.

With a halfhearted grumble, Ten saves his report and makes his way over to the living room and picks up the handset. “Yes? What’s the message today?” He yawns.

“Today’s the day, Ten,” the woman says.

“Mmm? Is it really?” Ten replies, distracted by the way the ice looks in his mimosa.

“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” She comments.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He pauses, then adds, “I’ve had like half a mimosa. I don’t want any judgment.”

The woman chuckles. “Okay then. If you say so, Ten. But remember that today is the day.”

“What day?” He frowns, scouring his brain for any important dates he’s supposed to remember. Taeyong’s birthday was two weeks ago, and Ten’s wedding anniversary isn’t for another few months.

“Didn’t I tell you during our very first conversation? You have a visitor coming.”

“Sure I do,” Ten replies dryly.

Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door.

Ten’s stomach drops all the way to the floor. Vaguely, he hears the woman laugh and say, “I believe that’s him right now. Do treat him well, won’t you? He’s a very sweet boy.”

He barely registers the sound of the woman hanging up. Slowly, Ten makes his way over to the door, trepidation seizing his heart.

_It’s just Johnny,_ he tries to convince himself as he gets closer. _Yeah, Johnny probably forgot his keys today and needs me to open the door. Or maybe Taeyong needs some help with his reports. Maybe it’s just Jaehyun being weird as always._

Ten grips the latch and takes a deep breath. Then he swings the door open as fast as he can.

The boy standing before him can’t be any older than sixteen. He’s scrawny and has big eyes. He has some American rapper on his shirt, and he’s carrying a large backpack.

“Hi,” the boy waves awkwardly. “I’m Mark.”


	2. Chapter 2

O“What do you mean, you just forgot?” Ten demands into his cell phone. After downing the rest of his mimosa, he’d grabbed the nearest bottle of Muscadet and drank straight from it. 

Johnny’s voice on the other end is sheepish. “I’m sorry, Ten. Jae literally asked me yesterday and I got home when you were already asleep. I get it if you’re upset.”

Ten takes another swig from the bottle. “I’m not _mad,_ really,” he says. Quickly, he pokes his head out the kitchen to glance at the teenager sitting on his couch. “I’m just really surprised. Some random kid shows up at the door and I almost shut it in his face until he mentions Jaehyun sent him. Not exactly how I expected my Saturday to go, to be honest.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Johnny says. Ten can hear multiple loud voices in the background. “Listen, I have to go soon, but we’ll sort out the rest of the details when I get home.”

“Okay,” Ten sighs. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Johnny ends the call, which leaves Ten back to square one. He grips the Muscadet like its a lifeline as he makes his way over to the living room. Mark hasn’t moved an inch from his perch on the couch, and he jumps slightly when Ten plants himself in front of him.

“Alright,” Ten declares. He pauses to drink more wine, because God knows he'll need it if he wants to get through this interrogation without losing his mind. “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier. I’m sorry if I’m scaring you now with my drinking, but I prefer to confront weird things when I’m not sober.”

Mark nods slowly. “That’s, uh, that’s fine. I don’t mind, hyung.” His voice is higher than Ten expected, but that's probably because the kid isn't done going through puberty yet.

“Mmm. Good. Johnny always tells me I’m gonna be an alcoholic before I turn thirty. I don’t see why that’s a problem, though,” Ten muses. "Drinking is fun. Don't tell your parents I said that, but it really is."

“Hyung,” Mark interrupts Ten’s spiel. “I know you weren’t expecting me, and I’m sorry for intruding. I can ask Dr. Jung for a different place to stay if it’s too much of a bother for you.”

Ten may have had a mimosa and about an eighth of the Muscadet, but he’s nowhere close to drunk yet. Maybe just a tiny bit tipsy, but he’s got enough sense in him to examine Mark more closely. This must be the intern Jaehyun likes. The smart one who’s really young. 

But why, Ten wonders, does Mark have nowhere to stay?

“Alright,” Ten rubs his forehead and collapses down on the couch next to Mark. “Let’s start from the beginning. Like, what’s your full name, how old are you, and why are you currently homeless?”

Mark stares down at his feet. His navy blue converse are scribbled all over with black sharpie in English and Korean, and the laces have been tie dyed. “Well, my name is Mark Lee and I’m from Canada. I, uh, also have a Korean name—it’s Lee Minhyung—but I still prefer going by Mark here. And I’m sixteen,” he explains.

Ten can’t help but raise a brow. “You’re from Canada? What are you doing all the way here?”

“I got into the summer internship program at Dr. Jung’s lab,” Mark explains. “They accept a small pool of international students, so I took the chance. I was supposed to stay with a host family for the summer, but then they bailed on me at the last minute. Dr. Jung said he’d ask his neighbors if I could stay with them for the rest of the program.”

“Fucking Jaehyun,” Ten mutters under his breath. Leave it to the scatterbrained mad scientist to offer up someone else’s apartment to a complete stranger.

Then again, Ten thinks. Jaehyun may be dumb sometimes, but he’s not just smart when it comes to science. He’s a remarkably good judge of character, and because he doesn’t tend to like a lot of people, the ones he does like are always great. Jaehyun is sharp enough that nothing ever gets past him, and Ten trusts him.

“Like I said, if it’s too much trouble I can find somewhere else,” Mark says hastily. “I don’t want to impose on you or your husband.”

Ten is tempted to say no. It’s only midway through June and the internship ends in late August. That’s an awfully long time to house someone who, once again, is a complete stranger. But there’s something in Mark’s wide eyes and open expression that makes Ten want to trust him. No, he _does_ trust this kid already, and it’s ridiculous but he does. Somehow, he knows Mark Lee is harmless.

Besides, he can’t forget the mysterious woman. She told him specifically that Mark was coming and to be nice to him, and Ten has a feeling that if he ever wants to get to the bottom of this mystery, he’ll need to keep Mark around for some time.

Something tells him, however, that he won’t get anywhere by straight out asking Mark about the woman and the calls. She seems to know Mark personally, but Ten's not sure if Mark knows about her. He doesn't seem to, considering he never mentioned a woman anywhere in his story.

That, or Mark won’t tell him anything.

With a deep sigh, Ten tilts his head back to drink more wine. He takes a long, long sip and when he’s finally done, the bottle is half empty.

“Alright, Mark Lee,” he says. “You can stay.”

The way Mark’s expression lights up is enough to justify Ten’s decision.

 

 

Ten waits until Jisung’s mother has left with her son before he turns to Taeyong and grips him by the collar. 

“I have a bone to pick with your boyfriend,” he speaks through gritted teeth.

Thankfully, Taeyong doesn’t feign innocence. He grimaces guiltily and says, “I promise none of that was my idea. Jaehyunnie’s a bit crazy sometimes.”

“He’s a mad scientist; of course he’s crazy,” Ten rolls his eyes. He releases Taeyong’s collar and groans. “I like the kid, don’t get me wrong. But did Jae really have to drop this on us out of nowhere?”

“Hey, he’s really sorry, too,” Taeyong insists. “And he wanted to house Mark at first, but then he remembered we don’t exactly have a guest bedroom.”

Ten’s about to point out that Taeyong and Jaehyun’s apartment is right next door to his and Johnny’s and that their floor plans are the exact same. But then he remembers that Jaehyun turned the guest bedroom into his private study for all the mad scientist stuff and thesis writing he does. So yeah, it’s probably better for Mark not to live with Taeyong and Jaehyun.

“Okay, that’s fair,” Ten admits. “Anyway, I do like the guy. Johnny seems to really like him, too.”

When Johnny got home that day, the first thing he did was have a long conversation with Mark in English that included a lot of laughter and overall good vibes. Ten, who knew a decent amount of English, initially tried to keep up, but then he called it quits and went to cook dinner. Then he remembered that he was shit at cooking, and after nearly burning down the kitchen, ended up calling for a pizza. Johnny and Mark somehow bonded even more over pizza, leaving Ten to nurse what remained of his beloved Muscadet. Then, Johnny even drove Mark to the lab despite Jaehyun being perfectly capable of doing so.

Ten wasn’t about to admit he was slightly jealous of a skinny sixteen year old, but yes he kind of was.

“Markie’s a really sweet boy!” Taeyong grins. “He came over for dinner once and he got along with Hyunnie really well. I wanted to pinch his cheeks the whole time.”

“He’s a nice kid,” Ten agrees.

Bae Joohyun, the head of the daycare, walks in right at that moment. “Who’s a nice kid? Because it’s definitely not Jeno,” Joohyun says.

“Just one of Jaehyun’s interns whom Johnny and I have adopted for the summer,” Ten shoots Taeyong a pointed look.

Joohyun glances up in interest. “Oh? Do tell.”

Ten shrugs. “It’s just this sixteen year old. His name is Mark and his original host family couldn’t help him so Jaehyun offered up my place. It’s fine though, I like Mark.”

“Hmm,” Joohyun taps her chin in thought. “How long has Jaehyun known him?”

“Like a week?” Taeyong guesses.

“Interesting. I’m surprised you just let some teenager into your house,” Joohyun remarks.

Ten hesitates, then says, “Well, uh, this is gonna make me sound really dumb, but one of my first thoughts was that Mark is Johnny’s like, secret kid or something. But then I realized Johnny would have been thirteen when Mark was born, so I guess that’s not true.”

Joohyun and Taeyong howl in laughter, which just makes Ten feel even dumber. “Johnny’s what, twenty-nine? He’s barely old enough to have secret children,” Joohyun wipes away a tear as she laughs.

Ten glares. “Says the only one in this room who’s in her thirties!” He retorts.

Thirty-three year old Joohyun suddenly stops laughing and scowls. “Kiss that raise I was planning on giving you goodbye,” she snaps.

 

 

For the most part, it’s hard for Ten to get a good reading on his guest.

Mark can get loud when he talks to Johnny, but overall he seems a bit on the quieter side. He’s at the lab from nine to three. Ten tends to get home around five, and he’s usually greeted by the sight of Mark diligently typing on his laptop with a huge stack of papers that Ten assumes to be internship-related. Johnny usually gets home anywhere from six to nine, but they always wait to have dinner with him. Ten’s peeked inside the guest room a few times to always find the bed neatly made and Mark’s backpack propped against the bedside table. 

Ten’s also observed that Mark won’t really talk unless he’s spoken to first. Sure, Mark will politely greet him whenever they see each other, but they’ve never had a real conversation since that first day. Mark has taken quite a liking to Johnny though. Ten assumes that it’s because of their similar background in the West, which he completely understands. Sometimes, when Johnny gets home early, he watches sports with Mark.

But overall, Ten doesn’t know anything about the kid. Maybe he scared him off too much with his drinking that first day, but in Ten’s defense, it’s Mark’s fault for suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

One night, when Johnny’s texted that he may not come home at all and will probably have to spend the night at the office, Ten seizes the opportunity to get to know his visitor better.

“So, Mark,” he says over their pasta dinner. Mark startles a little at the mention of his name. Ten continues by saying, “Where are you from? Like, where exactly in Canada?”

Internally, Ten wants to stab himself. Has he always been this bad at making conversation?

Mark smiles awkwardly. “Vancouver. It’s on the coast.” He pauses, then says, “Johnny-hyung says you’re from Thailand?”

Ten is pleasantly surprised by Mark’s effort to continue the conversation. “Yeah, Bangkok. My family moved to Seoul when I was in middle school. Johnny’s family moved at the same time and we went to the same school, so we always got paired up because we were the foreign kids.”

“You think you’ll ever go to school in Korea?” Ten asks. Somehow, he can’t quite picture Mark in the traditional school uniform. He sees Mark as much more of an independent spirit with his own specific style. Like those blue converse, for one thing.

Mark shakes his head. “I mean, my Dad thinks it would be good for me to spend a year or two in Seoul, but I like Vancouver. Two of my best friends are thinking of applying to universities here, but I’m not sure yet. Mom says there’s no rush to make decisions.”

Ten perks up in interest. This was the first time he’d ever heard anything about Mark’s personal life. “Your parents are both Korean?”

“Yeah,” Mark nods. “So are Yerim and Donghyuck—the ones I said want to come here for college. Lucas, my other best friend is actually Chinese and Thai.”

Mark takes his wallet out of his pocket and pulls out a picture. “This is us,” he explains as he hands the picture over to Ten. “Yerim’s the girl, obviously. Lucas is the really tall one. Donghyuck’s the shortest because he’s actually a year younger than us.”

In the photo, four high schoolers stand with identical large smiles on their faces. The tall guy, Lucas, has plump lips and thick brows. He towers over the rest of his friends. Mark stands between Lucas and Donghyuck, the shorter guy. He does looks younger than the others with his persistent baby fat on his cheeks. Yerim, the girl with dyed blonde hair, stands in the front with a large trophy in her arms. All four are wearing matching T-shirts and it looks like they’re at some sort of competition or fair.

“We’re all science nerds,” Mark confesses with a bashful grin. “That was taken last year when we won a competition. We probably look really lame.”

Ten actually finds the picture quite cute, but he doesn’t want to embarrass Mark too much. “Nah, you’re definitely cooler than I was in high school,” Ten laughs, handing the picture back. “I sucked. Literally my only friend was Johnny. I think it’s great you guys all have something in common.”

Mark looks noticeably happy at Ten’s comment. He digs through his wallet and pulls out another photo. It’s of the four of them again, but outside on a sunny day and they look a few years younger. They’re crouched in a circle around a box. Yerim’s hair is brown whereas Mark’s is a weird peach color. Lucas has a shovel in his hands. 

“What’s going on here?” Ten questions curiously. He's been through his own fair share of adolescent antics--like that time he took a selfie with his mother yelling at his sister in the background--but he has no idea what these kids are doing.

“We were thirteen here,” Mark says. “It was Yerim’s idea to bury a time capsule. She said that even if we lost contact after high school, we all still had to come back the day I turn forty because I have the latest birthday. We’d dig it up and find all our old pictures and science medals and talk about the old days.”

Ten smiles. “That’s really sweet. You think it’ll really happen in the future?”

Mark hesitates. For a moment, Ten detects a flicker of unease in the teenager’s eyes. But then it’s over and Ten’s not sure if he made that up or not.

“I hope so,” Mark says at last. “I mean, who knows what’ll happen in the future. I’d like to believe none of us ever lose touch, but that’s probably going to happen. I just hope we’ll all remember to come back to Vancouver on my birthday.”

There’s an odd sense of desperation to his words. Ten doesn’t know how to interpret it, and it’s not like he’s one to offer support. The few friends he had other than Johnny were all forgotten once college started, and Ten doesn’t even remember many of his uni friends, either. 

So he changes the subject, because he doesn’t know what else to do. “What about your parents? Are they aware you’re currently living with a future drunk,” Ten jokes.

Mark seems relieved at the change in subject. His face breaks into a more genuine smile as he says, “Yeah, I told them the other day. They were really surprised, especially my mom.”

“Actually,” Mark flips through his wallet again. “I have a picture here. My dad prefers to take pictures instead of being in them, so this is just me and Mom.”

Mark’s mother looks sweet. She’s thin and on the shorter side, with a whole head’s disadvantage on Mark. She parts her hair in the middle and has a bright smile that matches her son’s. They’re sitting on a white picket fence in front of what Ten presumes to be their house.

“Mom’s so great,” Mark babbles. “She’s literally driven the four of us to school every day since we were in elementary school, and she always makes snacks for us whenever we’re working on a project or studying at my place. Mom even made all of our team shirts and customized them herself. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Hearing about Mark’s mom makes Ten feel nostalgic. He misses his own mother’s warmth and especially her cooking, which he unfortunately did not inherit. “What about your dad?” Ten asks.

There it is again, that brief flicker of hesitation. “He’s kind of distant,” Mark replies. “Like he’s great and I love him, but he’s more reserved than Mom. I think he’s just a quiet person in general, but whenever he’s around Mom he’s more energetic.”

Ten furrows his brow. The way Mark talked about his dad sounded sad. Or maybe not quite sad, but more…withdrawn. As if Mark didn’t like talking about him.

He wants to ask more, but then Mark stands up. “I have to finish a report for the lab, so please excuse me,” he bows, picking up his empty plate and placing it in the sink. Then he’s already disappeared into his room.

 

 

Over the next week, Ten settles into a routine. Wake up, eat breakfast with Johnny and Mark, carpool with Taeyong to work while Johnny takes Mark to the lab, carpool with Taeyong again after work, make brief conversation with Mark, eat dinner once Johnny’s home, and then finally bedtime. Despite his initial worries, Ten is pleased by the fact that Mark is respectful and neat and doesn’t intrude very much on their life. He never asks to be taken anywhere other than the lab, doesn’t leave messes, and even does some of the household chores. Normally Ten would be against his guests doing the vacuuming and dish washing, but he tells himself that most guests wouldn’t be staying for two whole months without prior notice, so he just enjoys having fewer responsibilities.

He’s all but forgotten about the strange phone calls until one day, when Mark is busy working on a report in his room, the teal dial phone rings again.

Ten’s tempted to ignore it and pretend that weird phase of his life just never happened, but the phone won’t stop ringing. He counts about thirty rings before he finally loses patience and picks up the handset.

“Hello, Ten,” the woman greets. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Ten scowls even though she can’t see it. “I’ve been living perfectly well without you, you know,” he mutters.

She chuckles. “That’s not very kind, but I’m not going to bother responding any further to that. Let’s skip to the important part, shall we? How’s your visitor?”

Unconsciously, Ten’s fingers tighten around the phone cord. “He’s fine. Pretty nice kid. But how did you know he was coming? How do you even know him, period?”

“If you’re worried that he set me up to make this phone calls, then don’t stress over that. He doesn’t even know about me making these calls at all.”

“Great. But that doesn’t really answer any of my questions. How do you know him?” Ten demands, quickly losing patience with this woman and her cryptic answers. “He said his parents didn’t even know about his living situation until he told them. How did you know he needed a place to stay?”

He can practically hear the woman’s smile in her voice when she says, “I know so many things, Ten. I don’t need to be Mark Lee’s parent to know anything about him. He’s someone I’ve been instructed to watch over, and that’s how I’ve learned everything I need to know.”

“And if I were you, Ten,” her voice drops lower. “I’d keep in mind that Mark Lee has a lot of secrets.”

The line goes dead.

 

 

“Hey Johnny,” Ten says as he watches his husband make breakfast. He’s currently perched on top of the counter, fascinated by the way Johnny’s back muscles look in that white shirt. “Where did you get that landline again?”

“Hmm?” Johnny takes his eyes off the eggs he’s currently frying. “I’m pretty sure it was the thrift store down the street. Why?”

Ten shrugs as casually as he can manage. “No reason. I was just curious since we never use it.”

“Yeah, it was probably a waste of money but I thought it looked nice.”

Johnny plates out three servings of eggs and adds bacon and toast to the plates. “So what’s with all the questions, anyway?” He asks as he balances the three plates.

Ten hops off the counter and takes one of the plates. “Just wondering,” he keeps his voice neutral. “I was thinking about that one commercial that called the landline a few weeks ago. I think that’s the first time we ever got a call there instead of our own phones.”

“Yeah, I think so too. I’ll probably get the landline cancelled next month,” Johnny says. “It’s getting to be a waste of money.”

Internally, Ten breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe if the line stops working, that woman will stop calling.

Johnny hands a plate to Mark and sits down at the table. “So how’s it going with Jaehyun?”

Mark lightens up. “It’s incredible! Dr. Jung’s definitely the smartest person I’ve ever met,” he gushes. Ten chooses not to break that illusion by bringing up that time a few days ago where Jaehyun almost dissolved his keys in acid. “He let me borrow his thesis so I can read it. It’s a little hard to understand but it’s still cool.”

Johnny laughs. “Jaehyun’s smart for sure, but I’d never say he or his thesis is cool.”

“Oh it’s so cool,” Mark insists, excitement shining on his face. “I bet he’ll be famous in the future. He’ll probably invent like, time travel or teleportation.”

“Taeyong’s too protective of him to ever let him get famous,” Ten jokes.

  
“I could see Jae being famous,” Johnny muses. “Either for going crazy or inventing something. Probably both.”

Mark just smiles knowingly. “Trust me, he’ll do something big.”

 

 

On Sunday, Ten is home alone. Johnny’s trial is today, and Mark is tagging along with Jaehyun and Taeyong on some errands. Normally, Ten would feel bored being home alone, but today he has other plans.

Johnny said the thrift store was just down the street, and Ten’s walked past it enough times to know which building he was talking about. It was a red brick one-story building with one window and a green door. The first time Ten saw it he thought it was creepy, but he supposed that was just part of its aesthetic.

Now, when he enters the store, he realizes the inside is even creepier than the outside.

The lighting is dim and there’s a distinctly musty smell in the air. Everything is haphazardly strewn around, with the most random assortment of trinkets he’s ever seen. Why on earth, Ten wonders, is there a stuffed bird’s head next to a baby rattle? What is that studded choker doing next to what looks like a hunting trap?

“Can I help you?”

Ten jumps at the sound of a low, husky voice. He swivels around to find the store clerk hidden behind a rack of secondhand clothes. 

“Ah, yes. I have a question,” Ten replies as he wades through the pile of what he thinks could be animal pelts.

The clerk, he notices when he gets closer, is a normal looking guy. He seems quite a bit older than Ten—probably late thirties—and has black hair that frames his gaunt face. His eyes are big and somber in expression.

“What is it?” The clerk tilts his head.

Ten clears his throat awkwardly. “My husband bought something from here a couple years ago, and I was wondering if it would be possible to trace where it came from?”

The clerk’s expression turned slightly irritated. “You realize I can’t remember everything I sell, right?” He mutters lowly. “But I may know this item. What did your husband buy exactly?”

“It’s this dial phone,” Ten says. “Like, an old fashioned landline basically. It’s teal-colored too, if that helps.”

Instantly, the clerk grimaces, his face twisting into several unreadable emotions. “Ah, yes. That phone. I do remember that one.” Something in his voice suggests that he would prefer not to talk about the phone at all.

“Really?” Ten leans forward in interest. “Do you have any records of where you got it from?” It’s a long shot, but one he needs to take. If neither he nor Johnny ever gave out that number to anyone, then who else besides the previous owner could know it?

The clerk leans down under his desk. After a few seconds, he reemerges with a large binder. “I stopped keeping track of who sells things about a year ago, but you’re in luck if your husband bought the phone before that,” he mumbles, flipping through the pages. “Let’s see, what’s his name again?”

“Johnny Seo. Or he may go by Seo Youngho instead on his credit card,” Ten responds eagerly.

“Not a problem because I don’t take credit cards anymore. But I’ll keep an eye out.”

The man continues searching for a few minutes, running his index finger along the long list of names and purchases while Ten jiggles his knee in anticipation. At last, the clerk makes a small grunt of victory.

“Here we go,” he says, turning the binder so it’s facing Ten. “This name here is your husband Seo Youngho, who bought the phone in April two years ago. And this is the woman who donated it to me.”

Ten peers down at the name the clerk points to. 

_Kang Seulgi_

“Do you have any information about her? Like her number or address or something?” Ten asks eagerly. He’ll be able to verify if this Kang Seulgi is the mystery woman by her voice alone.

The clerk shakes his head. “Unfortunately I never kept track of who donated items. You’re out of luck with me, but you can probably find her in the phone book or something.”

Ten’s too busy internally celebrating this small victory to notice the gleam of apprehension in the clerk’s eye. “Thank you so much!” He cheers, reaching over and enthusiastically shaking the clerk’s hand.

“You’re very welcome,” the other man murmurs.

Just as Ten’s about to leave the store, the clerk calls, “What’s your name?”

“Hmm?” Ten turns his head. “It’s Ten. Well that’s my nickname, but my real name is too long for Korea.”

“I see,” the clerk nods slowly. “My name is Kim Jongwoon, if you ever need anything.”

“Will do!” Ten waves cheerfully as he skips out of the thrift store.

When he gets back, he decides, he will look up this Kang Seulgi, and if he can find her number or address he'll reach out to her. Even if she’s not the strange caller, she may know something. Again, Ten knows it’s all a long shot and he may end back up at zero, but he’s willing to try anything to figure out who this woman is, and what kind of secrets Mark Lee is hiding.

 

 

Once Ten is gone, Jongwoon locks up and flips the sign on the door from “Open” to “Closed”. He sighs deeply as he takes his phone out of his pocket and dials a number he’s had saved for two years but never called before.

How strange, he thinks as he waits for the other end to pick up, that she was right all along.

“Hello, Seulgi,” he says. “I found someone who's been getting the calls.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right so I know that in real life Mark hates science but for my sake let's just pretend he doesn't.


	3. Chapter 3

“I never thought I’d say this,” Yerim sighs, “but I actually miss Mark’s music.”

Lucas snorts, says, “We can still play Kendrick without him.” He twirls a screwdriver between his fingers, bored out of his mind.

“Yeah, but it’s not the same without Mark trying to out-rap him,” Yerim shakes her head from where she lay flat on her back on the basement carpet. Her hair, which she’d dyed red a few days ago, splays outward in every direction.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that we’re all hanging out in Mark’s house when he’s not here?” Donghyuck, ever the wise, points out.

Yerim and Lucas exchange glances, then shrug in unison. “Eh. His mom let us is anyway,” Yerim waves it off. “Besides, what else are we gonna do in the summer?”

“True,” Donghyuck agrees, her answer seeming to satisfy him enough.

The three sit in amicable silence. Lucas takes a tool out of the toolbox, plays with it for a few minutes, then puts it back and selects a new one. Donghyuck scrolls on his phone. Yerim just stares at the ceiling.

In a soft voice, Lucas murmurs, “You think Mark’s okay?”

“I think he’s fine,” Donghyuck replies. “Mark’s always been really independent. He’ll come back in one piece.”

Yerim doesn’t say anything.

 

“What’s up with you?” Taeyong pokes Ten in the side. “I’ve never seen you look so out of it.”

Ten tries for a weak smile. “Oh, nothing. Just tired,” he mumbles. He turns his attention back to Renjun in his arms, says, “Hey, Injunnie, do you mind playing with Jeno and Jaemin right now?”

Once Renjun has toddled off to be with his friends, Ten leans in close to Taeyong. “To be honest, I’m not really sure,” he confesses. “Things have been confusing lately.”

Taeyong raises a brow in confusion. “You’re being awfully vague, Tennie. What’s been confusing? Johnny? Mark? Something else?”

Nervously, Ten chews on his lip. After leaving Jongwoon’s thrift store, he’d gone straight home and looked up Kang Seulgi on the Internet. Surely there couldn’t be that many Kang Seulgis in Seoul, he’d reasoned. It wasn’t that common of a name, so his search shouldn’t take so long.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was for there to be no Kang Seulgi at all. Not in Seoul or in the rest of the country. She simply did not exist.

“Don’t worry about it, Yong. I’ve got everything under control,” Ten says. No matter how much he trusts Taeyong, there’s no way he can explain everything that’s been happening without sounding crazy. And besides, this woman seems to only be calling Ten and no one else; maybe he’s the only one who’s supposed to know.

Taeyong looks like he wants to pry more, but then Sooyoung’s voice interrupts them.

“Hey guys, look who just showed up!” She grins excitedly.

From behind her, Johnny, Jaehyun, and Mark all wave.

“Hyunnie!” Taeyong cries out as he springs up and tumbles into his boyfriend’s arms. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have work?”

Jaehyun laughs awkwardly. “Uh, we all got to leave early today. There may have been a minor lab accident.”

“Dr. Jung set fire to another intern’s lab coat and Dr. Moon got mad at him,” Mark pipes up with a mischievous glint in his eye. “We all got sent home because Dr. Moon said he needs peace and quiet, which isn’t possible with Dr. Jung around.”

Taeyong gasps. “Is the poor intern okay?” He frets.

“It wasn’t _that_ bad,” Jaehyun sheepishly insists. “Like, he wasn’t burnt or anything. He just needs to buy a new lab coat, that’s all.”

Ten meets Johnny’s gaze and shakes his head in amusement. “So why are you off work early?” Ten teases, tugging Johnny towards his by his tie. "Set fire to any interns?"

“Someone had to pick these two up after Jaehyun forgot his keys in the lab,” Johnny explains. He drops a quick peck onto Ten’s lips, adds, “And he didn’t dare go back in because he was worried Dr. Moon would castrate him.”

Suddenly, Ten feels a tug on his leg. When he looks down, it’s Renjun, who at some point wandered back over to him. “Hyung, what’s castrate?” Renjun asks innocently.

Ten glares at his husband. “It doesn’t mean anything important, Injunnie. Forget you ever heard it,” he replies.

Johnny, that ass, just laughs.

 

Donghyuck groans. “What do you think Mark would do if I threw out his Eminem collection?”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Yerim responds without even glancing his way. “You know he’d murder you.”

“So what about the Kanye?”

Yerim pauses. After a second, she says, “I bet that would be okay, actually.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t throw any of our friend’s stuff away when he’s not here,” Lucas interrupts, for once the voice of reason.

“You’re right,” Donghyuck agrees as he flops down on Mark’s neatly made bed with airplanes on the covers. Yerim’s willing to bet her entire life savings that Mark’s mom made the bed, because there’s no way Mark could ever be so tidy. “Let’s throw his shit out when he’s back, then.”

“Stop swearing so much. You’re an infant,” Lucas snorts.

“I’m only one year younger!”

“A year and a half!”

Yerim rolls her eyes. Absently, she opens all of Mark’s dresser drawers and peers inside them. “Wow, who knew Mark had Tupac boxers,” she remarks dryly. “I wonder if his mom knows they exist.”

“You think Mark does his own laundry?” Lucas points out.

“True,” Yerim agrees. She opens the bottom drawer to find nothing. “Damn, it looks like he took his album with him. I wanted to go through our old pictures,” she sighs.

Over the years, Yerim thinks, Mark’s room has hardly changed. Maybe he’s replaced a few Disney posters with ones of rappers, and she supposes his trophy shelf is noticeably more cluttered with all their competition winnings. And yeah, there’s now a calculus textbook on his desk rather than his old coloring books. But Mark is still Mark.

She glances up at the framed picture above the dresser. It’s of Mark and his parents from some ten or so years ago. They went to New York that summer, if Yerim remembers correctly. Niagara Falls. The three of them are clad in blue ponchos, but his mother’s hair is soaked. It’s one of the few pictures Yerim’s ever seen where Mark’s father is also there. He has that same solemn expression in his eyes Yerim’s gotten used to seeing in person.

Below the picture are three sets of letters scribbled on the wall in Sharpie. Despite having been friends with Mark since diaper days (way before Donghyuck and Lucas joined them), it took Yerim an embarrassingly long time to decipher what Mark was writing. 

_WJM. SYM. LYMD._

As she traces her fingers over the letters, she can’t help but wonder when he’ll come home.

 

Sooyoung nudges Ten in the side. “Your husband’s pretty good with kids,” she remarks. 

Over at the drawing tables, Johnny sits with Jisung in his lap as they work on a dinosaur themed coloring book. Chenle and Jeno are seated one on each side as they help with the coloring, chatting animatedly with the older man.

“He is,” Ten agrees softly. He purposefully ignores the tug on his heart.

“Johnny’s basically doing our job for us,” Joohyun grins as she reclines back in her seat. “Bless Jaehyun for setting someone’s coat on fire.”

Jaehyun and Mark have also took it upon themselves to play with the kids. Jaehyun wows Renjun with simple science tricks while Mark stacks blocks with Jaemin. The actual teachers all hang out by the sink, calmly sipping their coffee as they watch the newcomers take over.

Taeyong quietly sets down his mug. “I think,” he starts to say, only to flush when he notices the eyes of his coworkers on him. “I think I’ll ask Jaehyun today,” Taeyong mumbles, staring down at his feet.

“Oh my god,” Joohyun gasps. She shoots a quick look to make sure Jaehyun is preoccupied, then jumps up and shakes Taeyong by the shoulders. “Are you serious? Is this really happening?”

“I don’t even know if he’ll agree!” Taeyong holds his hands up in defense. 

“But you’re finally gonna bring it up?” Sooyoung smiles encouragingly.

Taeyong’s blush is answer enough.

Ten grins as he slaps Taeyong on the back. “Atta boy, Yongie. It’s about time you made all your dreams come true,” he teases.

“Don’t put it that way!” Taeyong whines indignantly.

Secretly, Ten glances back over to Johnny. Jisung’s fallen asleep in his lap now, but Johnny doesn’t seem to mind. He’s listening to some story Jeno’s telling him, a fond expression on his face. Ten’s seen Johnny’s interact with kids plenty of times before, but something about now feels different. Maybe it’s just because they’ve had a sixteen year old living under their roof for a few weeks, but Ten’s life has never felt so domestic before.

Maybe it’s about time he brings up the subject, too.

 

“Um,” Lucas hesitates. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Yerim?”

“I do whatever I want,” Yerim shoots back. 

They’ve relocated the the front yard now after digging through every inch of Mark’s room. When Mark and Yerim were younger, Mark’s dad built them a treehouse in the large, twisted tree standing in the middle of the yard. They haven’t been up there for years, but Yerim’s bored and can’t think of anything else to do.

Donghyuck didn’t come into their life until he moved from Seoul to Vancouver eleven years ago, and Lucas came the following year. Before them, Yerim and Mark only had each other. 

“Yer,” Donghyuck calls nervously. “What if the house rotted? It could fall down and you’d die!”

Yerim shrugs. “Don’t be so dramatic, Duckie. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

To hell with the fact that she was wearing a dress, she was climbing this tree and didn’t give a shit whatever her friends saw. The house was only a little farther up, and her sense of nostalgia was too strong.

Finally, she made it to the house. The opening was smaller than she remembered, but that’s probably because the last time she came up here she was seven. The wood didn’t look rotted, which was a good sign. Inside, the treehouse was dusty and had a thin layer of leaves covering the ground, but overall it was unchanged.

The walls were covered in more Sharpie scribbles in both Korean and English. Mark’s handwriting was always terrible, so Yerim couldn’t read some of it. She caught his name, his parents’ names, and her name in his messy scrawl, as well as some short poems in her own handwriting. 

Suddenly, she noticed something strange. Sitting in the far corner of the house, on top of a stool, was a teal dial phone. Yerim didn’t remember that ever being there. She didn’t recognize it at all, period. What was it, and why was it here?

She stepped forward with unsteady legs. Just as she was about to reach for the phone with shaky fingers, she heard the deep voice of Mark’s dad.

“Kids! It’s time for lunch!”

“Come on, Yerim,” Lucas shouts up at her. “Let’s go already before you kill yourself.”

“Very funny,” she retorts sarcastically. Glancing at the phone one last time, Yerim decides that it’s a matter for another day and leaves the treehouse.

 

“Hey babe?”

“Hmm?” Ten concentrates on scrubbing away a particularly persistent chili stain on Mark’s plate. 

Johnny’s hands come into view as he takes the plate away from him. “Do you mind taking the trash out? I’ll finish these dishes,” Johnny asks with a sweet smile.

“Fine,” Ten sticks his chin out childishly. “But only if you admit you’re a lazy ass who wants to exploit his husband for labor.”

“How am I exploiting you for labor if I offered to finish the dishes. Which, mind you, there are a lot of, and it takes two minutes to throw the trash out,” Johnny retorts sassily. With a laugh, he plants a long kiss on Ten’s hair. “There. Is that enough to make you go?”

“I guess it’ll have to do,” Ten sniffs. He makes sure to slap Johnny’s ass as he trots out of the kitchen with the trash.

“Hey Mark,” Ten says when he enters the living room. “Wanna do me a favor and take this trash out?”

Mark doesn’t even look up from his laptop as his fingers fly across the keyboard. “I would, except I’m a lazy tenant who has no respect for his hosts,” he deadpans.

“Fair enough,” Ten shrugs. Damn, is that kid good.

It only takes a few minutes to take the elevator down a couple floors, throw the trash in the dumpster, then head back to elevator. Ten whistles the latest Exo song as he skips along his way, not a care in the world. 

And then, as things naturally happen, the elevator doors open and he knocks someone over.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry!” He apologizes, holding a hand out to help his victim. “Are you okay?”

The victim is a woman who looks to be around his age, maybe a couple years older. She has long black hair and a catlike face. And, Ten notices with dismay, she’s currently glaring up at him like he just killed her firstborn and burnt down her house.

“Uhh…” He trails off, unsure of what to do. Then he notices the crushed rose bouquet in her hand, and he pieces two and two together. “Oh. I’m sorry I ruined your flowers. If you still want to give them to whoever then I can pay for new ones,” Ten says.

The woman just lets out a defeated sigh. “Don’t worry about it,” she mutters, ignoring Ten’s outstretched hand as she stands up herself. “It’s not a big deal.”

Ten, however, is both persistent and a people-pleaser, so he tries again. “No, really, it’s my fault. I can—“

“You can’t do anything,” she snaps. Her fingers tighten around the wrecked bouquet. “Look, like I said, it’s not a big deal. They’re just some flowers. It was a stupid idea anyway because she doesn’t even know I exist, so it doesn’t matter. Just leave me alone.”

She walks away before Ten can say any more. Sighing, he gets into the elevator presses the button for the fifth floor.

Right before the doors close, he hears an old lady’s voice.

“Oh, Seulgi, are you okay?”

Ten’s head jerks in the direction of the lobby. He jams his finger on the door open button, but it’s already too late.

 

After making lunch for the teenagers, Mark’s parents excused themselves to go do some errands, leaving the house to their son's friends.

“Is it weird that our friend’s parents just leave us alone at his house when he’s not even here?” 

“Eh,” Lucas says between bites of grilled cheese. “They don’t seem to mind. I wouldn’t stress too much about it.”

Donghyuck still looks nervous. “I still can’t believe they trust us so much. What if they’re secretly planning on calling the cops on us and getting us framed for robbery? What if there’s a bomb in the house?”

“You really think they’re about to do something like that? Mark’s parents, of all people?” Lucas rolls his eyes. “Come on, Duck. Just eat your sandwich.”

“Lucas is right,” Yerim jumps in. “I’ve literally let myself in here when no one else is home, and once his parents get back they don’t really care. They just go, ‘Oh hi Yerim’ and go back to their own business. We’re basically their adopted kids.”

“Oh,” Donghyuck thinks that over. “Yeah. You’re right.”

Yerim quietly chews on her food as Lucas and Donghyuck find some other topic to bicker over. Try as she might, she can’t stop thinking of the teal phone. In sixteen years of friendship with Mark, she’s never seen any phone that’s not a cell. Where did that dial phone come from, and why was it in the treehouse of all places? It wouldn’t even work in there without an outlet.

“Hey,” Lucas throws a napkin at her. “What’s with that face? You look like the Doc when he found out Donghyuck broke his test tube collection.

“It wasn’t me!” Donghyuck shouts.

Yerim cracks a smile. “Sorry, I’m just out of it.” 

“Don’t be,” Lucas says. He props a foot up on the table—something Yerim knows Mark’s parents would not be okay with, but they’re not here so oh well. “Just because Markie’s gone and you’re his best friend doesn’t mean this summer has to be boring. We should like, go to an amusement park one of these days.”

Lucas’s white converse are covered in words from English, Korean, Chinese, and Thai. His laces are tie dyed. Since the four of them became best friends, they’d always buy new converse and customize them themselves. Yerim’s were pink and Donghyuck’s were red, while Mark’s were navy blue. Originally, Yerim would draw on Mark’s shoes when she was bored, and over time it became a habit. It was Mark’s idea to do the tie dye laces as well.

Yerim misses Mark even more.

She clears her throat and says, “Anyway, should we start planning for the fall competition? We can’t break our winning streak!”

Lucas and Donghyuck’s excited cheers are almost enough to make her feel less uneasy.

 

“Wow, you look terrible,” is the first thing Joohyun says to Ten when he walks in to work the next morning. 

“I know. I didn’t sleep at all last night,” Ten moans, collapsing right on the floor. He closes his eyes in an attempt to get a little more rest before the kids come in.

Sooyoung snorts. “When you say you didn’t sleep, is that because you were having some really deep thoughts or because you have a husband who kept you up?” She wiggles her brows suggestively.

With his face planted down on the carpet—probably a very unhygienic move, but he’s too tired to care—Ten flips her off. “I had a lot on my mind, okay. Don’t give me that sass today, Soo.”

“Don’t make fun of him for having an active sex life,” Joohyun slaps Sooyoung on the shoulder. “I swear I’m going to be single for the rest of my life.”

“Did you even hear what I just said,” Ten whines helplessly, finally lifting his head up.

The two women ignore him. Sooyoung places her hand on Joohyun’s back sympathetically, says, “Don’t worry, unnie. I’m sure you’ll find your special someone one day.”

“Before or after menopause?” Joohyun laughs. “I can’t believe I’m already thirty-three. Where does the time even go? I don’t even remember what it feels like to be in my twenties.”

Twenty-eight year olds Sooyoung and Ten glance at each other. “Noona, you’re not that old,” Ten says slowly.

“Yeah,” Sooyoung agrees. “And also, aren’t you gay? Why would menopause matter?”

“I’d prefer not to share my sexuality with my employees,” Joohyun mutters in embarrassment.

“You’ve literally gone out drinking with us before,” Sooyoung deadpans.

“And you’ve told us about all your girlfriend history in great detail,” Ten adds. “Way too much detail, if I’m being honest. I didn’t need to know how many times your ex could make you come in one night.”

“Huh,” Joohyun muses. “Wow. We really are close aren’t we?”

“Yup,” Ten and Sooyoung say at the same time.

All of a sudden, Taeyong runs into the room. He’s always had a doe-eyed, fairy boy look, but today his eyes are especially wide and his appearance especially fairy-like.

“I did it!” He screams at the top of his lungs.

“What?” The three crowd around him in anticipation. “Come on, Taeyongie, tell us what happened,” Ten insists impatiently.

Taeyong’s smile is soft and gentle. “Okay, so after dinner yesterday I told him that I’ve been thinking about kids for a while and wanted to know if he was on the same page. He just kind of smiled and said of course he also wants kids, but that now isn’t great timing because he doesn’t think he can be a good dad with his busy schedule. So then he asked if we could maybe wait a couple years when his career is a little more stable, and of course I agreed,” he blurted out all at once, his happy smile never leaving his face.

“Aww,” Joohyun coos. “That makes sense. But I’m sure that when the time comes, Yongie, you two will be great parents,” she ruffles Taeyong’s fluffy hair.

“Yeah, congratulations,” Sooyoung says. “You finally grew the balls and now you can look forward to kids soon.”

Ten wraps his arms around his best friend. “Good for you, Taeyong!” He cheers. “But I have to be godfather, okay?”

“Who else?” Taeyong shoots back cheekily.

Just then, Jaemin comes in with his mom. The four daycare teachers immediately revert back to being professional and greet the incoming kids, but none of them can hide their excited smiles.

Ten, who longer feels exhausted after hearing the good news and now has kids to play with, occupies himself with Jeno. Taeyong brings Chenle over to play with them.

“So,” Ten grins. “Have you thought of any names yet?”

Taeyong blushes. “Tennie! It’s only been one day and besides, nothing’s happening yet,” he mumbles.

Then, quietly, he says, “Actually, I have a few in mind. But don’t tell anyone or else they’ll all make fun of me.”

“Is it Febreeze?”

“I’m going to kill you.”

Chenle’s head shoots up. “That’s not nice, hyung!”

“You’re right, Lele. Please forgive me.”

“Okay!” And with that, Chenle and Jeno run off to play with the dolls.

“So,” Taeyong says once they’re left alone. “Joohyun-noona said you didn’t get any sleep. What’s up? And before you tell me that it’s nothing or not important, I’m not dropping this until you tell me the truth.”

Damn. Taeyong really does know him too well. Ten bites the inside of his cheek as he thinks of what to say. If he’s going to lie, he decides, he may as well tell some of the truth.

“Do you know someone named Seulgi in our building?” Ten asks, keeping his voice as casual as possible.

Taeyong blinks. “What?”

“I, uh, kind of ran into this woman yesterday. Like, literally ran into her. She fell over and I felt bad. I thought I heard someone call her Seulgi,” Ten explains.

“What does she look like?”

“Around our age? She has bangs and long hair, if that helps,” Ten describes. “Oh, and she really looks like a cat.”

He can practically hear the click in Taeyong’s brain. “Oh, her? Yeah, that’s Seulgi-noona. I don’t know her last name, but the part about looking like a cat really narrows it down.”

“You know her?” Ten exclaims. Noticing the strange looks the kids and his coworkers are sending him, he lowers his voice and adds, “I mean, you actually know her? Like personally?”

“Oh yeah,” Taeyong shrugs. “She lives on the sixth floor. I think her apartment’s right above yours, actually. I met her a few times in the elevator.”

Ten’s head spins. Seulgi lives right above him? She’s lived above him for who knows how long, and Ten’s never seen her? And even though he doesn’t know her family name, what are the odds that the previous owner of the teal dial phone was named Kang Seulgi, and now his upstairs neighbor is named Seulgi? It can’t be a coincidence.

He’s so lost in his thoughts he doesn’t notice the way Sooyoung, who stands just a few feet away from them, tightens her grip on her coffee mug.

 

Lucas checks his watch. “Oh shit, I’ve got to head out. The neighbors asked me to mow their lawn,” he hastily explains as he gathers his stuff together. 

“Can you give me a ride?” Donghyuck lifts his head up hopefully. “You’re the only one who’s seventeen and has a car. No offense, Yerim.”

“None taken,” Yerim grumbles back.

Lucas looks at his watch again. “Yeah, sure, Hyuck. We’ve gotta head out like, right now.”

“Okay,” Donghyuck nods. He places his plate in the sink and waves to Yerim. “Bye! See you tomorrow!”

“See ya, Yerim!” Lucas shouts, already out the door and unlocking his car.

Yerim waves goodbye to them from the window until Lucas’s car disappears from sight. With a sigh, she goes back to the kitchen and starts washing their dishes. It’s the least she can do, she reasons, after Mark’s parents made them lunch and let them stay at their house.

It’s weird without Mark. Not the being at his house when he’s not there part—Yerim’s basically that best friend in every sitcom who practically lives in the main character’s house without any question—but the Mark being out the country part. She’s been back to South Korea a few times with her parents, and of course Donghyuck and Lucas are originally from Asia. But Mark hasn’t travelled to any foreign countries before, excluding that one trip to New York ten years ago. And him going alone? That’s more than enough to make Yerim worried.

_I hope you’re okay, Markie,_ she thinks. Outside the kitchen window is the perfect view to the front yard. Yerim can’t stop staring at the old treehouse. _I hope you come home safely._

 

For once, Ten doesn’t press the button for the fifth floor. He jams the sixth floor button as hard as he can, tapping his foot in anticipation as the elevator slowly climbs up.

Finally, the doors open. He dashes as fast as he can to apartment 602 and bangs on the door. To hell with being polite, he needs his fucking answers.

The door opens just a crack. He can just make out Seulgi’s wary feline eyes and not much else. “What do you want?” She says. The hostility in her voice makes Ten wish he hadn’t hit her door quite so aggressively. “Look, if you’re here to apologize again, there’s no point. I’ve already told you that everything’s fine and it wasn’t a big deal, so if you could please just leave I’d really appreciate that.”

Seulgi makes a move to close the door, but Ten desperately sticks an arm out and holds it open. “My name is Ten,” he explains hurriedly. “I live in the apartment below yours. 502.”

“Okay?” Seulgi sounds confused. “That’s great. But if you want to apologize I’ve already said so many times—”

“I have the phone!” 

Seulgi freezes. Slowly, she opens the door until her entire face is visible. “What phone,” she asks quietly. By the dread in her voice, Ten knows that she already knows.

“The teal one,” he answers. “The dial phone. And I’ve been getting some weird calls from it.”

Seulgi stares at him for what feels like an eternity. She can’t seem to decide whether she wants to slam the door in his face or let him in, but either way, she knows something. And Ten’s not stopping when it looks like he’s finally about to get some answers.

Finally, she drags a hand through her hair, ruffling her bangs in the wrong direction. “You’re the one who went to see Jongwoon-oppa,” Seulgi states.

“Yeah,” Ten nods rapidly. Then he pauses and realizes, “Wait. He said he doesn’t have any way to contact his customers. How did you know?”

Seulgi’s mouth flattens into a thin line. “I guess we need to talk.”

 

Bored after finishing the dishes but also too tired to climb up the tree again, Yerim heads back upstairs to Mark’s room. She unceremoniously flops down on his bed, burying her face in his pillow.

Yerim is the second oldest in the friend group. But back when it was just her and Mark, she took on the role of his protective older sister. Yes, she was only a few months older, but their parents had met at a birthing class and they’ve basically been together their whole lives. She loved to bully Mark, but of course she also loved him.

Sighing, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Like the science nerd he was, Mark had stuck up a poster of a periodic table on his ceiling. A periodic table of rappers. Yerim snorts at the sight of it.

Her fatigue overcoming her, she falls asleep with Jay-Z’s face being the last thing she sees.

 

Seulgi’s apartment has the same layout as Ten and Johnny’s, but it looks completely different. Johnny has a very distinct taste for black and white photography and modern art. He likes furniture that looks old fashioned but still comfortable. Everything about their place screams modern and stylish.

Apartment 602, however, only has one aesthetic: Tortured artist. 

The furniture, Ten notes, is all very simple. Rectangular coffee table. One couch. A few wooden stools. The walls are covered with charcoal sketches of people, and judging by the pile of crumpled drawing paper in the corner, Seulgi spends a lot of time perfecting her work.

“Excuse the mess,” she mumbles distractedly. “Want some tea or something?”

“I’m okay,” Ten declines. He clears his throat, says, “Can we just get to the point? What’s with the phone? Are you the one calling me?”

Seulgi sighs. She sounds so defeated and weary that Ten feels even worse for disrupting her. “I’m not the one calling. The only number that can call that phone is its own.”

Ten blinks, reeling back in confusion. “What the fuck does that mean? I’m definitely receiving calls from someone.”

“You idiot,” Seulgi rolls her eyes. “That’s no ordinary phone. How did you even come by it?”

“My husband bought it a couple years ago at that thrift store—the one some guy named Jongwoon works at,” Ten explains, growing increasingly frustrated by the way Seulgi doesn’t answer any of his questions. “He registered it as a landline, but we’ve never actually used it. He said he’ll cancel it next month, but I just don’t understand why someone’s calling me all of a sudden.”

Seulgi sets the kettle on the stove and bides her time by fiddling with the dials. “I told that idiot he should never sell that fucking thing, but of course he did,” she mutters under her breath. Turning back to Ten, she says, “Alright, I need to know a little more. Who’s calling you, and what are they saying?”

“It’s just some random woman. She told me I was going to get a visitor and at first I thought she was just bullshitting me, but it ended up being true. She even knows the guy and everything,” Ten says. 

Now it’s Seulgi’s turn to look confused. “You have a visitor, and she knew he was coming?”

“Just tell me what’s going on!” Ten shouts. 

Seulgi flinches, which makes him feel bad again for being so harsh, but he can’t take much more of this nonsense. If she won’t tell him anything, then he’s stuck back at square one.

“Okay,” Seulgi raises her hands in surrender. “I don’t know much about your specific situation, but you need to know that you don’t just stumble upon that phone. If you get it, it means something bad.”

Ten groans. “Can you please stop being so vague and just tell me what you really mean?”

She looks him straight in the eye. “Cancelling that line won’t make the calls stop. Neither will unplugging it or shocking it. You can’t even destroy it. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“Why would you try to destroy it?” Sure, the calls were annoying and creeping Ten out a lot, but he’d never go to that drastic of a measure.

“Because,” Seulgi drops her head. “You only get called when you’re about to die.”

 

“Hey, Yerim,” Mark’s mother greets her, leaning against the door frame with an amused smile gracing her lips. “Lucas and Donghyuck already went home?”

Yerim waves from her position on the bed. “Yeah, a couple hours ago. I took a nap.”

“I see that,” the older woman smiles. She comes over and sits besides Yerim, says, “Thanks for doing the dishes.”

“Mmm,” Yerim nods absently, her mind busy running all over the place. 

They sit in silence together for some time. Yerim hears Mark’s father walking around downstairs, probably getting ready to cook dinner. Mark’s mother hums quietly, her gaze fixed on the framed picture from Niagara Falls.

“I miss him,” Yerim says at last, slowly sitting up. “It’s still fun with Lu and Duckie, but it’s been a long summer without Mark.”

His mother chuckles. “Yeah, I get that,” she agrees. She wraps an arm around Yerim. “I thought I wasn’t going to be one of those overprotective moms, but I worry about him a lot too. But I’m sure he’s doing fine. He’ll be back in a couple weeks, so soon the four of you can go run around and cause trouble again,” she reassures.

Yerim sniffs. “I’m worried he’ll do something stupid.”

“Oh of course he will. He’s Mark. But he’ll always find a way to fix things.”

The words aren’t that reassuring, but Yerim still feels better. She curls up more against Mark’s mother’s side and says, “Thanks, Wendy.”


	4. Chapter 4

“So what was up with you today?” Joohyun bumps Sooyoung with her hip. “I looked over and you were totally pale.”

Sooyoung tugs her scarf up over her mouth to cover her grimace. “Nothing. I think I’m coming down with something, that’s all.”

“In the middle of summer?” Joohyun raises a brow. She shrugs, says, “Well, if you’re not up to it then take tomorrow off. Wouldn’t want one of the kids getting sick.”

“Yeah,” Sooyoung replies quietly.

Neither Joohyun nor Sooyoung own a car, so they always walk home together. They’ve known each other since before Sooyoung started working at the daycare, when they were roommates for a few years. Sooyoung eventually moved out and got her own studio apartment, but she still views Joohyun as a beloved older sister.

“I’ll be off,” Joohyun waves as she walks up the steps to her apartment. “Hope you feel better, Sooyoungie!”

Right as Joohyun takes out her keys, Sooyoung says, “Unnie, if you were happy but you knew something bad would happen in the future, would you try to change it?”

“Huh?” Joohyun turns back around with confusion written all over her face. “That’s quite a deep question that came out of nowhere.”

Sooyoung shifts her weight from one side to the other. “Just answer it, unnie.”

Joohyun regards her warily for a few moments. She’s always been beautiful with her perfect face and delicate frame, and when she stands under the street lights, she’s positively captivating. Wryly, Sooyoung thinks, _I see why you loved her_.

“I wouldn’t,” Joohyun says at last. The look on her face and set to her shoulders is oddly determined. “I’d choose to be happy even if it ultimately doesn’t end well. I don’t really know how to explain it, but I think it would be the right choice.”

Sooyoung smiles weakly. “Alright then. Thanks, unnie. I’ll see you later,” she says, walking away before Joohyun can say any more.

Once she’s out of earshot of Joohyun, Sooyoung pulls out her phone. Without hesitation, she dials a number she hasn’t called in so long.

“Hi, I can’t come to the phone right now. Please leave a message at the beep.”

_Fucking typical_ , Sooyoung shakes her head in amusement.

Taking a deep breath, she says, “Hey, it’s Sooyoung. Park Sooyoung. I want to talk to you.”

 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Ten demands. “I’m about to die? What the actual fuck?”

Seulgi backs up nervously, her hands fluttering at her sides. “Look, I know it sounds ridiculous, but I swear it’s true. I got the calls too,” she says.

“But you’re alive,” Ten points out. His headache intensifies at the complete lack of sense in Seulgi’s words. “You say you’ll only get the calls when you’re about to die, but how are you alive? It’s been two years since we got the phone.”

Vaguely, he registers the sound of the kettle going off and the vibrating of a cell phone. Seulgi ignores both and says, “The calls are like a second chance. You can…cheat death, I guess.”

Ten holds up a hand as his head throbs. “Alright, stop right there. Start from the beginning. Where did you get the phone from, and what happened to you?”

“I,” Seulgi bites her lip, desperation clouding her face. “I can’t do this, Ten. Please don’t make me.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Ten throws his hands up in the air out of frustration. “You’re literally the only one who actually knows something, but you won’t say anything. I see how it is, noona. Fine.” 

With that, he spins on his heel and makes for the door.

Seulgi panics, says, “Wait, where are you going?”

“Home,” Ten snaps. “To my husband. If you ever need me I’m right downstairs. I won’t bother you again.”

 

Ten is the first to admit he’s superstitious. He doesn’t like walking under ladders, breaking mirrors, or opening umbrellas indoors. He used to keep a plastic cross under his pillow in case a vampire attacked. If a light mysteriously turns on in the house, he’ll fling himself down to the ground to protect himself from a ghost.

He does not, however, believe anything crazy tortured artist Kang Seulgi says. No, he insists to himself, he will not be dying any time soon. He’s young, healthy, risk-free, and has a whole life ahead of him. Fuck that. Fuck crazy Seulgi and her wacky mind. 

Perhaps he slams the door open a little too loudly, because Ten hears a shrill shriek from the living room. Mark stares at him with wide eyes, his brows all the way up to his hairline. He’s clutching some kind of binder to his chest for dear life.

“Oh, it’s just you, hyung,” Mark breathes a sigh of relief. “You really scared me.”

A twinge of guilt squeezes Ten’s chest. “Sorry about that. Long day.”

Mark chuckles softly. “Hyung, you seemed fine when we came in today. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Ten insists with more force than necessary. Guilt hits him again at Mark’s uncomfortable expression. “Where’s Johnny?” Ten asks in an attempt to clear the awkward air.

“He said he was called out to the office. Something just came up,” Mark replies.

“Ah,” Ten nods awkwardly. Suddenly realizing that this is only the third time he and Mark have been alone together, he sidles up and gingerly sits down next to the teenager. “So, what you got there?” He asks, gesturing to the binder.

Mark loosens his grip on it, says, “Just a photo album. I felt a little homesick so I thought I’d look through my pictures.”

“Do you mind if I see?”

He hesitates at first, but then Mark opens the album to the first page. “My mom actually put this together because I’m terrible at these things. She started it when I was little and right now it’s not even full,” he explains.

The first page is full of Mark’s baby pictures. In most of them, he’s being held by his mother—the same pretty woman Ten had seen in one of Mark’s wallet photos. There is one picture, however, where baby Mark is being held by who Ten presumes to be his father. The lighting is dark and the father’s face can’t really be made out, but Ten can vaguely make out a pointed chin and a straight nose.

Mark keeps on going through the pages with brief explanations for each picture. “This is when Yerim and I were four and our dads built us a treehouse. We haven’t been up there in like, ten years, but we had a lot of fun.”

“Lucas always comes up with weird ideas, but this was just something else. You ever built one of those volcanoes for a science project? He thought it would be a good idea to load it up with extra baking soda, and the whole thing just burst apart. I still don’t get how it happened, but we failed that project. After that I only worked with Yerim.”

“Donghyuck’s dad is a scientist who always likes to buy random shit on the Internet. One time his dad got a drone and Hyuck stole it for a day so we could play with it. Then it got stuck in a tree and Yerim’s cat knocked it down and broke it. Hyuck’s dad got pretty mad for like two seconds, but then he was all chill and just bought a new one. Donghyuck’s other dad keeps on scolding him for buying so much unnecessary stuff, but we all know he’ll never stop him.”

“Your friend has two dads?” Ten interrupts in surprise.

“Yeah,” Mark says after a small pause. “Hyuck’s adopted.”

“Ahh,” Ten nods. “I see. Carry on.”

Without any hesitation, Mark immediately launches back on his explanations. “This is from the time Yerim and I flew down to Nova Scotia with our moms. Her mom had just gone through a divorce, so we thought it would be good to take a trip.”

“Yerim also has this obsession with drawing on all my stuff with Sharpie. Especially my shoes. So my mom started a collection out of all my old shoes that Yerim drew on. Mom says it’s a form of modern art, but I think it’s just Yerim being bored.”

“This is from my first day of high school. It’s just me, Yerim, and Lucas because Donghyuck was still in middle school.”

“Here’s me and my mom going ice skating. Is it weird that I’m from Canada and I didn’t step foot on the ice until I was fifteen? Yeah, it probably is. I really sucked at skating, but Mom was a pro at it.”

“This is—”

And suddenly Mark slams the album shut, his face growing unnaturally pale.

Perplexed, Ten tilts his head and says, “Uh, Mark? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Mark flaps his hands around awkwardly. “Yeah, it’s all good. Um, the next pictures are kind of personal, so I don’t really feel like sharing them right now. Sorry if that sounds rude,” he mumbles, not quite able to make eye contact with the older man.

Ten doesn’t quite buy that excuse, but he lets it slide anyway. If Mark doesn’t want to share, then it’s clearly not any of Ten’s business. Besides, he’s had enough of prying, anyway.

_Fucking crazy Kang Seulgi_.

“You seem really close with this Yerim,” Ten grins, elbowing Mark suggestively. “Girlfriend?”

Judging by the way his seagull eyebrows raise all the way up to his hairline, Mark is clearly repulsed at the thought. “Hell no. She’s literally been my best friend since birth—our moms met at those classes for pregnant people. Yerim’s been terrorizing me forever,” he shudders.

In a quieter voice, he adds, “Actually, there is someone I like, but he likes a senior so it’s pointless.”

Judging by the way Mark sadly traces a finger over Lucas’s picture, it’s fairly obvious who he’s talking about.

“Oh come on,” Ten says, “Don’t just count yourself out like that. You think high school me ever thought I had a chance with Johnny?”

Mark cracks a small smile. “Johnny-hyung did say you were pretty dorky.”

“I was. And Johnny was all tall and cool and hot, but he liked me back even though I thought he never would. Who knows, maybe Lucas likes you back. And if he doesn’t, you’re only sixteen. You’ve got all the time in the world to find the great love of your life,” Ten encourages.

Mark’s smile turns fixed and his eyes become guarded. “But how can you be sure there’s still enough time?”

In the back of his mind, Ten hears Seulgi’s voice again. _You only get called when you’re about to die._ It’s probably just a coincidence, but her words held a rather peculiar sense of dread and resignation to them. Mark sounds the same, like he’s already defeated before anything’s started. And somehow, Ten has a feeling it’s not just about Mark’s crush on Lucas. There’s something else entirely going on, and it scares Ten that he can’t figure any of it out.

“Mark,” he says quietly. “Who exactly are you?”

Unease flickers in the teenager’s eyes. His fingers tighten around his photo album like it’s the only thing keeping him alive.

“I’m just Mark Lee from Canada,” Mark replies. “What else would I be?”

Ten narrows his eyes. “You tell me.”

Suddenly, Ten’s cell phone goes off. Mark takes the opportunity to scuddle away to his room while Ten’s distracted.

Swearing under his breath, Ten aggressively presses his finger against the answer button and brings his phone up to his ear. “Hello?” He hisses through gritted teeth.

“Hey babe,” Johnny’s voice, tired but still gentle, replies. “Can you meet me downstairs?”

Ten furrows his brow. “What?” He gets up to peer out the window. There’s a figure that’s undoubtedly Johnny standing on the sidewalk outside the apartment complex. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just want to talk to you for a bit. Alone.”

Now that, Ten thinks, doesn’t sound good. Since when did any good news come out of wanting to talk privately?

But Ten likes to believe he’s a brave man, so he balls his hands into fists and takes a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll be down in a sec.”

 

"Hi, I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message at the beep."

“Hey, it’s Sooyoung again. You already know which Sooyoung. I doubt you know any others, since you’ve been a hermit for the past couple years. But that’s not the point. It’s not like I can judge you for that. I know you blame me for a lot of things, and I guess I know why you do. I never should have followed those instructions, right?. I should’ve just let what happened happen, right?. That’s what happens when you try to play God, right? You end up fucking some things over. But anyway. I still want to talk to you. I _need_ to talk to you, okay? I haven’t seen you in two years. You don’t have to lock yourself away because of your choice. Please listen to me? You can go on pretending I don’t exist again after, but I need to talk to you. You’re still my friend, even if you don’t want to be.”

 

The second Ten steps outside, he’s hit with a chilly night breeze. He shivers as he runs up to Johnny, trying his best to warm his arms.

Johnny smoothly slides his windbreaker off and slots it over Ten’s shoulders. “I knew this would happen,” he murmurs softly as he zips the coat up all the way to Ten’s chin. “You’re the only one who can still get cold in August.”

“Shut up,” Ten sticks his tongue out. “But why are we down here?”

Johnny merely steps forward and engulfs Ten in a tight hug. “No reason,” he breathes against Ten’s hair. “I just needed you to myself for a moment. I’ve missed you.”

“We live together, you idiot,” Ten mumbles under his breath. But he grips Johnny’s waist anyway, because he’s missed him, too.

“It hasn’t been the same recently,” Johnny says. “I know you told me not to worry about having to go to work all the time, but it’s getting hard whenever I come home late and you’re already asleep. And things have changed since Mark came. You know I love the kid, but it’s harder to get some privacy.”

“Sometimes,” Johnny’s voice drops. “I’m worried you’ll grow fed up with me. Realistically I do trust you and don’t think you’re the type of person who would do that, but I’ve been a shitty husband.”

A rush of affection overcomes Ten’s heart. Oh, Johnny, he thinks. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Johnny.

“I’d never get upset with you because your job is tough,” Ten says. He quickly presses a kiss to the corner of his husband’s jaw. “We’re making this work, okay? We’ve already found a way to make us work. You focus on your career, and I’ll enjoy the times we can spend together. It doesn’t matter how short it is, I’ll still love everything about it. You know I love you.”

Johnny isn’t perfect. He’s clumsy and overworks himself and makes bad jokes. Ten worries about him all the time, but he’s also well aware of the fact that Johnny can handle himself. They’re okay. They’ll always be okay.

If he had to choose between himself or Johnny, Ten already knows his decision.

 

“The number you are trying to reach does not have a voicemail inbox. Please call again later.”

 

“So, Mark,” Johnny says over dinner a few nights later. “A little birdie told me it was your birthday on the second and you didn’t tell us.”

Ten’s chopsticks drop to the table in a clatter. “Seriously?” He demands.

Mark doesn’t look up from his rice. “Yeah, it was,” he says quietly. “That was why I was feeling homesick the other day. I always spend if with my parents and friends, so it was weird to not be with them for once. I didn’t want to bother you guys with the news.”

“It’s not a bother at all!” Ten insists. If there’s one thing Ten could possibly love more than Johnny (but obviously he doesn’t), it’s birthdays. He doesn’t really know how to explain it, but there’s something about completing another year in your life that makes Ten feel excited. As horrible of a baker as he’s always been, Ten tries year after year to make cakes for his friends, only to fail miserably and call Taeyong over to bake one for him.

“Did you at least call home?” Johnny asks.

Mark shakes his head. “It’s hard to call with the time difference and work schedules. Besides, they’re expecting me in a couple weeks anyway so we can probably just do a late celebration then.”

“That’s a little sad, isn’t it?” Ten points out bluntly. “Seventeen’s not as big of a deal as eighteen, but it’s still a landmark. Can’t you drive in Canada now?”

“Already got a permit.”

“Yeah, but now you can get the real thing. That’s something to celebrate. And you’re almost done with high school!”

Mark just shrugs. “It’s just a birthday, hyung. It’s fine,” he mumbles. “And like I’ve said, I’ll be gone soon. I don’t want you guys to do anything big when I’m just gonna disappear.”

The finality in Mark’s words put an end to the conversation. Ten silently stares down at his plate, the implication of Mark’s statement slowly setting in.

Mark is leaving.

Of course Ten’s always known that. Back when the kid first arrived, Ten couldn’t wait for him to go. And yes, he still knew that Mark was hiding something and was important to solving the whole mystery of the teal phone, but Ten did like him. He was kind and demure and smart, and even though it’d only been a couple months, Ten felt like Mark had been with them for a long time.

But Mark still has his own family. He has an entire life in Canada with Yerim, Donghyuck, Lucas, and his parents. Ten and Johnny are as temporary in his life as he is in theirs.

Ten doesn’t want him to go. Not just yet.

“Tell us about your family,” Johnny says. “I feel like you talk a lot about your friends but not much about your parents.”

Mark stiffens a little—not too much, but Ten catches it anyway. “There’s really not much to tell,” he replies, staring down at his plate. “My dad’s a judge and my mom’s a chemistry professor. He likes photography and she likes singing. They’re both great.”

Privately, Ten thinks that’s not an awful lot about two people that Mark says he loves. Based on the way he’d listened to the teenager talk about his mother, Ten would have expected Mark to say a lot more.

“Did you get into science because of your mom?” Johnny questions, oblivious to any tension in the air.

“Yeah,” Mark nods. “My dad works long hours, so when I was a kid she would always bring me to the lab she worked at before she became a professor. Yerim usually tagged along too.”

Johnny chuckles. “That sounds a bit dangerous to bring two kids to a lab.”

“Oh it was. But Mom didn’t want to leave me with a sitter all the time and Yerim’s parents were usually busy too, so Mom made sure we were always safe. Sometimes I’d go to Dad’s office and do my homework while he reviewed cases, but the lab was more fun.”

Remembering Mark’s other friends, Ten asks, “How did you become friends with Lucas and Donghyuck?”

“Hyuck’s from here actually, but he moved to Vancouver ten years ago. His dad worked with my mom when she was at the lab, so Hyuck also always liked science. Lucas,” Mark hesitates, “didn’t actually like math or science at all until he met us. We kind of dragged him in.”

“That’s sweet,” Ten smiles. He can tell that talking about Lucas is a bit of a touchy subject for Mark, but it’s cute to see the faint blush on Mark’s cheeks. “He seems to really like you guys.”

Mark shoots Ten a discreet glare. “I guess he does,” he mumbles.

Still oblivious as ever, Johnny changes the subject. “So, how’s Jaehyun treating you?”

And then, just like every time Jaehyun is mentioned, Mark lights up and gushes about his admiration for the scientist.

 

“The number you are trying to reach is not available. Please call again later.”

 

“Thanks for helping, Yerim,” Wendy says as she hands her another box. “It’s tough when both of your boys abandon you.”

Yerim cracks a smile. “No problem. Mark’s a real dick for ditching us the whole summer.”

Wendy reaches over to playfully slap Yerim on the shoulder. “Don’t talk about my son like that!” She teases.

“I’m his best friend, I can talk about him however I want!” Yerim shouts as she scurries out of the garage before Wendy can attack her more.

Earlier that morning, Wendy had called her asking for help moving old stuff out of the garage into her car so she could throw them out. Her husband, she’d said, was too busy with work, and of course her son was in another country. Wendy had bribed Yerim with the promise of cookies and pasta, and who was Yerim to say no to free food?

“How’s your mother doing?” Wendy asks as they load the last of the boxes into her car. “I haven’t seen Taeyeon in a while.”

“She’s good,” Yerim shrugs. “Out on a date with Tiffany again. 

“Ah, that’s good. I was happy to hear she’s dating again after the divorce,” Wendy says. “Tell her I said hi.”

“Mmm,” Yerim nods.

Wendy shuts the trunk of the car. “Anyway, I’ll just go drop these off. I’ll have your food ready once I get back,” she winks.

“I’ll be digging through Mark’s stuff!” Yerim shouts.

 

Someone elbows Ten while he’s in the midst of drawing with Jaemin.

“Hey,” Joohyun whispers. “Is it just me, or has Sooyoung been acting weird lately?”

“Hmm?” Ten blinks. He glances over to where Sooyoung is playing with Jisung. “No, not really? Why?”

Joohyun frowns. “I don’t know how to explain it, but she seems really distracted a lot. Like I keep seeing her making calls during break and she always looks really agitated.”

Now that Ten thinks about it, he has noticed Sooyoung on her phone an awful lot. “I mean, maybe she’s got a hot date?” He suggests. Sooyoung’s always been a fairly private person, so whenever she’s been in a relationship he’s never found out until months later. Ten thinks she has a boyfriend now—is it Sungjae?—but he can never be sure with her.

“Well it’s not just that,” Joohyun lowers her voice and leans in closer. She may be his boss, but he’s never seen her look this serious before. “A while ago she asked me this really weird question. I don’t remember what exactly it was, but it wasn’t something Soo would just randomly ask. She was so serious though so I went along with it, but I don’t know. I’m worried about her.”

Ten shrugs, says, “I don’t know anything. She’s hard to understand sometimes. I say just give her some space until she’s ready to talk. That is, if there’s actually anything bothering her.”

Joohyun still looks worried, but a little less so. “I guess,” she sighs.

 

True to her word, Yerim immediately goes up to Mark’s room and started doing her routine nosing around his stuff. She likes to say it’s the only thing that gives her joy—besides endlessly mocking Mark in person, of course. But, considering he’s been gone all summer, she’s spent more time than she probably should digging through his drawers.

Unfortunately, because she’s already searched the room so many times and nobody’s been living in it for a solid two months, she hasn’t been able to find anything interesting. There is, however, one place she hasn’t dared search yet: underneath Mark’s bed. Yerim knows he keeps a box of condoms there because she was present when Mark’s dad very dramatically gave them to him (she may or may not have almost died laughing at Mark’s tomato colored face), but she really doesn’t want to know how many have been used. She doesn’t _think_ Mark’s been getting any action, but for her sake she chooses to not know.

But today, she’s especially bored and feeling daring, so she lifts up his covers and gets on her knees so she can peek at the underside of the bed. 

Yerim’s first thought is that it’s quite dusty, which isn’t that surprising. Then she sees the box of condoms which, thankfully, is unopened. The next thing she notices is a small black journal sitting on top of the condom box.

Frowning, she reaches for the book. Why would Mark be hiding this under his bed? The only reason Yerim could think of was that it was something so incredibly personal he didn’t want to risk anyone (ie: nosy Yerim) finding it. But what kind of secrets could Mark have that were this bad?

Normally, Yerim knew where the boundaries were. Even with friends as close as she and Mark, there will still plenty of secrets kept from each other. But now, with Mark gone and Yerim only a little upset that he hadn’t warned any of them about his disappearance, she didn’t care about boundaries anymore.

She opened the journal and started skimming through its contents. And as she flipped the pages, tears started brimming up in the corners of her eyes.

_Oh, Mark_ , Yerim thinks. _You’re so goddamn stupid._

 

When Ten gets home, he’s surprised to find that for once, Mark is not home before him. There’s no pair of blue converse with tie dyed laces at the entrance and no sounds of Mark’s loud typing. 

There is, however, the ringing of the teal dial phone. And Ten can’t take it anymore.

He stomps his way over to the machine and pulls the plug out as aggressively as he can—only for his blood to run cold when the phone keeps on ringing.

_No. Nope. Hell no. Crazy Seulgi is crazy._

The phone doesn’t stop ringing. Ten, with the cable still in his hands, stands for what feels like hours just staring at the damned thing, but it still won’t stop ringing. He picks up the whole device and, with as much strength as he can muster, throws it down to the ground. It merely bounces once, then stands upright. The ringing continues.

Slowly, he makes his way over to the kitchen with the ringing echoing throughout the apartment. He fills a glass with water and goes back to the living room. Ten pours the water over the phone, but it still won’t ringing.

He knows Johnny occasionally smokes when it’s been a long day, so Ten rushes over to their bedroom and digs for the lighter in the drawer. When he finds it, he dashes back and attempts to set the handset on fire. The flame flickers out the instance it touches the teal surface. As a last resort, he tries to throw the phone again. 

The ringing doesn’t stop.

_No. Fucking. Way._

If Seulgi told the truth about the phone being indestructible, then was everything else she said true as well?

He stands there for god knows how long just staring at the dial phone. Finally, when the pounding in his head becomes too much, Ten snatches the handset.

“Oh, there you are. For a moment I thought you’d never pick up,” the woman greets, her voice as unperturbed as always.

Ten, however, is in no mood for chitchat. “I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

Silence.

“How did you know?” She whispers at last.

Ten shrugs, then remembers she can’t see him. “I met someone else who’s gotten calls from this same phone. I thought she was just crazy at first, but now I’m not so sure.”

The woman exhales loudly. “I see.”

There’s so many things Ten wants to know. When will he die? How? Where? What will happen to Johnny? Why him?

_Why?_

It’s unfair, he wants to scream. What could he possibly have done to make the universe kill him off? Which higher being did he piss off enough to make this happen? And why, he wonders most of all, is he getting a second chance? If he does cheat death like Seulgi said, will he end up like her? Tortured, sad, and tired?

But instead, he asks, “Who is Mark, really?”

He’s met with even more silence. Just as he thinks he’s been hung up on, the woman’s voice speaks up again. 

“Like I said, Mark doesn’t have anything to do with these calls,” she says. “I can promise that. But he’s on his own mission, I guess you could call it. You’d have to ask him yourself to find out.”

Ten fiddles with the cord. “Then who are you? Why do you know so much about him?”

The woman’s voice turns sad. “Because I love him.”

She hangs up.

 

"Wendy."

Mark's mother turns around with a fresh sheet of cookies from the oven. "What's up, Yerim? Done snooping around Mark's stuff?" Wendy laughs as she pushes a plate of pasta across the table.

Yerim merely lifts the black journal. "Did you know about this?" She demands, trying and failing to keep her voice from shaking.

Wendy falls silent. She sets down the cookies and briskly strides over to encase Yerim in a tight hug. "I know," she murmurs, smoothing down Yerim's hair comfortingly. "Of course I know. I'm his mother."

"How can he just go like that?" Yerim wails, bunching the loose material of Wendy's shirt into her fists. "Is that why he just left? So he can play the hero? How could you let him do this?"

Wendy's voice is sad when she replies, "Because there are two people in this world that I love above all else. I think it's okay if I get left behind if it means they can be happy."

"Why didn't he say goodbye?" Yerim hiccups. Her tears and snot are getting all over Wendy's shirt, but the older woman doesn't seem to mind. She just holds her closer.

"He's always been strange like that, hasn't he?" Wendy laughs lightly. "I didn't except anything else from him. He likes to think he's so independent, but he's still a child."

Yerim groans as a fresh wave of tears spills out. "Your son's been such a fucking idiot; how can you be so calm about all this? How are you okay with any of what's going on?"

Wendy smiles bittersweetly. "Because I'm his mother."

 

Sooyoung catches the door before Seulgi can close it on her. 

“Hey,” Sooyoung smiles brightly. “I told you I wanted to talk.”

Seulgi’s gaze drops to the floor. “I have nothing to talk about,” she mutters, trying to push the door closed again.

“Um, yeah,” Sooyoung forces the door open, slipping inside before Seulgi can counteract. “Yeah, we have stuff to talk about, and I’m not about to let you run away again.”

The other woman doesn’t reply.

“So,” Sooyoung says, strutting into the apartment like she owns it. “First of all, why haven’t you been responding to any of my calls?”

Seulgi shrugs. “I’ve had enough of your calls for a lifetime,” she replies dryly. “Why should I talk to you?”

“Because I’m your friend!” Sooyoung snaps, whirling around to face Seulgi. “I’m your friend, you fucking idiot. I’ve been your friend since college, and you can’t just cut me off because I helped you.”

“Help?” Seulgi scoffs. She’s a fair bit shorter than Sooyoung, but she’s not afraid to walk right up to her. “That’s exactly where you went wrong. You thought you could help me and play God, and look where we ended up. All three of us.”

Sooyoung groans in frustration. “We ended up like this because that’s what you chose, unnie. You made your choice, and now you want to be all sulky about it. This isn’t my fault and you know it.” 

“Yes it is!”

At the sound of Seulgi’s scream, Sooyoung steps back in fear. It suddenly occurred to her that she’d misspoke and perhaps should have been kinder witha still grieving Seulgi, but now it was too late.

Seulgi angrily drags a hand through her hair and then shoves Sooyoung by the shoulders. “You didn’t have to follow those fucking instructions,” she growls. “You could have just left me alone. You could have left both of us alone and gone on to live your merry little life. But you thought you were smart enough to intervene, and that’s what fucked all of this up.”

“I saved your life!” Sooyoung shouts back. Screw grievance, Seulgi has officially lost it and Sooyoung knows she's fighting for a lost cause. “You would be dead if it weren’t for me!”

The laugh that Seulgi produces is strangled and twisted. Her feline eyes narrow into a poisonous glare as she says, “And I wish I were.”

Sooyoung’s blood runs cold. “She was just your girlfriend. Was she really more important than your life?” She stalks over to one of the walls covered in Seulgi’s sketches. Sooyoung rips off one of the papers and brandishes it in front of her like a sword. “You think all of this was worth it for her? Why did you turn into a hermit, unnie? Why are you still sending her flowers even though you know you can never meet her? Why are you still holding on?”

Seulgi covers her face with her hands. “You need to fucking stop,” she pleads.

“I’m not going to until you start letting go!” Sooyoung retorts, walking closer and holding the sketch up.

Sooyoung shoves the paper into Seulgi, who automatically catches it with her hands. “She,” Sooyoung jabs her finger down on the sketch. “Is what you decided to give up. You made that decision, not me. I’m not saying it was right or wrong, but it was your decision. Stop cutting yourself off.”

“With the way you’ve been living, you may as well have just died.”

That does it. Seulgi’s head snaps up and she bares her teeth in a snarl. “Get the hell out,” she hisses while tears stream down her face. “Get the hell out of my home, and don’t ever come here again. Don’t you ever call me again, either. I will fucking kill you.” 

“Fine,” Sooyoung snaps back. 

She angrily stalks out, only to pause at the doorway. “Just remember,” Sooyoung says, “that you are the only one responsible for your life. Not me, and especially not her.”

Sooyoung slams the door shut so hard that the apartment rattles. But Seulgi is too busy drowning in her tears to notice, gripping her sketch for dear life as water falls on the page.

Bae Joohyun’s face smiles back at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dun DUN


	5. Chapter 5

Jongwoon sighs as he takes down the Open/Close sign. He tapes up a new sign and glances back around his store for the last time.

It’s weird to see it empty. He bought the place ten or so years ago and made a decent living out of buying and selling strange trinkets. But none, he thinks, were as strange as a teal dial phone that seems to cause chaos wherever it goes.

First was Kim Junsu. Then Park Jeongsu. Kwon Yuri. Lee Jinki. Park Sunyoung. Byun Baekhyun. Kang Seulgi.

All came in bright-eyed and excited, raving at the beauty of the old fashioned teal phone. And then they all returned it some time later with pale faces and sad gazes. _It’s cursed_ , they all said. _Please get rid of it. Don’t let this happen to anyone else_.

But every time Jongwoon throws it away, it reappears on his counter the next morning. Every time he attempts to hide it under piles of other items, the next person finds it. Every time he attempts to warn them of said curse, his tongue gets tied and his hands automatically accept the payment. And the cycle continues.

Perhaps it’s because it’s been two years since Seo Youngho—or was it Johnny, as his husband called him?—bought the phone, but Jongwoon assumed that this so called curse was gone. He himself had never been cursed by it despite having it in his possession for so long, so perhaps the curse was just a coincidence.

( _A coincidence between eight different people?)_

But then Ten came through the door, and now Jongwoon knows that it’s not a mere coincidence. Whatever’s going on with that teal phone, he doesn’t want anything to do with it. He can’t do anything to stop this curse, but he can at least stop being the one who spreads it. The middle man, per say.

With a long exhale, Jongwoon picks up his backpack and exits the store. He gets into his rented moving truck and, with one last forlorn look at his store, leaves it and it’s _For Sale_ sign behind.

 

Johnny blinks in surprise. “Ten? What are you doing here?”

Ten shifts his weight nervously, a sheepish smile decorating his face. “I just thought I’d drop by. You know, see your office and all that. It's much fancier than I remember. Nice new filing cabinets.”

“Yeah?” Johnny immediately sets down his papers and rushes over to hold Ten’s hands. “Is everything okay?” He peers down at his husband’s face with concern.

“I just missed you,” Ten confesses, and it’s not a lie. “I needed to see you.”

Johnny squeezes his hands. With a small smile, he reaches back over to his desk for his briefcase. He quickly shoves all his papers in and then leads Ten out.

“Youngho-ssi?” Johnny’s elderly secretary peers over his glasses in surprise. “Are you leaving already?”

Johnny flippantly waves his hand. “Emergency came up. Just mark it down as a sick day.”

He breaks into a jog. Ten, who has considerably shorter legs, has a difficult time keeping up, but that doesn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “What are you doing?” He laughs incredulously. “I just said I needed to see you, not that I needed you to ditch work!”

“Yeah, well it’s not like I’ve ever used a sick day anyway,” Johnny shrugs.

They get into his car, and as they drive out of the parking garage, Johnny grabs Ten’s left hand again. “And you’re always more important than work,” he adds softly.

That’s enough to shatter Ten’s heart into a million pieces.

“I love you so much,” Ten whispers, knowing that if he speaks any louder he won’t be able to hide the tears that are threatening to fall.

Johnny intertwines their fingers. “I love you, too.”

 

The girl’s stopped coming.

Joohyun isn’t stupid. When she first started noticing someone leaving roses at five o’clock every other Sunday on her doorstep two years ago, she made a plan. Whenever the hour neared five, she pressed an eye to the peephole to see who it was. Could it be one of the men living on the floor above her? They weren’t her type—she only liked women, after all—but they didn’t cause a lot of noise and seemed polite enough. She would have to politely decline their feelings, but she wouldn't mind being friends. Or was it that pretty woman who smiled at her every morning? Joohyun wouldn’t mind her.

The first time, she could only catch a glimpse of long black hair. The second time, she saw the back of a thin figure. It wasn’t until the third time that Joohyun actually saw a face.

It was a pretty girl with catlike eyes.

For a year and a half, Joohyun just barely missed the girl every time. Then, she finally managed to open the door and see the girl run down the hallway. A few times, Joohyun made it to her window in time to see the slim figure walking on the sidewalk. That was the first time she realizes the girl was actually a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, or perhaps thirty at the most. 

But for some reason, Joohyun could never make it to her door in time to open it right at five o’clock. Something always got in the way—the phone would ring or she’d trip over her cat—and then that was it. The woman with catlike eyes, gone. It felt as if the universe were conspiring against them, forbidding them from ever meeting.

Joohyun still held onto hope for a while. And then, about a month ago, the roses stopped coming. Joohyun could make it to the door at exactly the right time, but no one would be there in the hallway. She didn’t see the woman on the sidewalk, either.

Perhaps the woman gave up. Perhaps she never grew enough courage to talk to Joohyun in person. Perhaps she simply fell out of love.

Whatever the reason was, Joohyun would be lying if she said she weren’t disappointed.

 

“Wow,” Johnny breathes heavily. 

“Wow,” Ten echoes in agreement. He pulls Johnny down by his sweat-slicked neck to press their lips together again. “Wow.”

Johnny laughs as he pulls out, effectively dampening the sheets in the process. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” He murmurs, rolling onto his side to gaze down at Ten with adoration written all over his face.

“Too long,” Ten agrees, smiling so widely the corner of his eyes crinkle.

They had an unspoken agreement that it would be weird to have loud sex with Mark in the next room, which unfortunately meant that there hadn’t been any action for a solid two months. Which, in Ten’s books, was way too long. He married a hot, tall guy, so he expected to be serviced by a hot, tall guy and not his own hand.

Right now though, when Mark was at the lab and Johnny skipping work, the moment was just right.

“So,” Johnny says, throwing a warm arm over Ten. “Tell me what’s on your mind?”

Ten pauses. “I’m that obvious, huh?”

“Mmhmm. You don’t look as stressed as you did when you came into my office, but there’s obviously something that’s still bothering you,” Johnny replies. In a gentler voice he adds, “What’s wrong, babe?”

Ten focuses on the way Johnny’s collarbones stand out against his tan skin. He can’t just say that pretty soon, Johnny will be a widow. Even if he believes him, Ten knows that that conversation wouldn’t be easy.

“It’s weird, but I don’t want Mark to leave,” Ten says at last. It’s not really a lie, so he doesn’t feel quite as guilty not being completely honest. “I really like the kid. I guess I’ve just gotten really used to having him around to the point where he feels like family. Is that weird?”

“It’s not,” Johnny responds. “I’m going to miss him a lot, too.”

“But,” he adds with a wink. “I’ll also be happy to have the apartment just to us.”

Ten smacks him with a pillow.

 

If he’s going to die, then he’ll do it without regrets.

Ten spends the next week with everyone he loves. In the evenings, he stays awake long enough to greet Johnny when he comes home. Then, if Mark is fast asleep, they spend some _quiet_ quality time in the shower together. Ten arrives early to work every day and is the last to leave so he can be with his coworkers and the kids for as long as possible. If Jisung asks for more juice, Ten sneaks him some. If Taeyong looks tired and lethargic, Ten tells him to go home and that he’ll cover the shift. If Joohyun needs help cleaning up, he stays behind and finishes it.

One day, Taeyong realizes he accidentally brought Jaehyun’s lunch along with his own. Naturally, Taeyong freaks out and starts worrying over his boyfriend, terrified that the scientist will forget to eat and faint from a lack of nutrients. Ten, who is more level-headed, understands that Jaehyun will most likely be just fine, but he offers to head over to the lab and deliver the lunch anyway.

“Are you sure?” Taeyong purses his lips in worry. “It’s pretty far if you don’t have a car. I could always go over myself.”

“No problem!” Ten insists with as bright of a smile as he can muster. Truthfully, the lab is a little too far because it takes a long bus ride and a lengthy walk to get there, but he doesn’t care. He hasn’t seen Jaehyun in a while, anyway.

So Ten quickly explains the situation to Joohyun and Sooyoung, who giggle at Taeyong’s overreaction but let him go anyway. After about half an hour, Ten reaches the lab.

For such a prestigious place, the security is pretty low. The reception lets him in with only a brief explanation, waving in the vague direction of Jaehyun’s office. Ten wipes the sweat off his brow—he’d forgotten that there was a giant hill leading up to the lab—and heads down the hall.

Jaehyun’s office had his name written on a plague on the door. Ten reaches over to twist the handle, when he suddenly hears voices coming from within.

“I don’t know, Mark. It doesn’t sound realistic to me,” Jaehyun says.

“Hear me out,” Mark replies insistently. Ten hears something shuffle around, which he guesses must be Mark standing in excitement. “What if you were only presented with those three choices? Would it be possible to find a loophole?”

Ten’s not sure what’s going on, but he finds himself unable to move. He presses his ear against the door to listen more closely.

A deep sigh that must belong to Jaehyun sounds from inside. “I suppose so,” Jaehyun muses. “I could definitely see that working. But what if nothing happens? If you remove it, then there’s a high probability that nothing would change. It would've been wasted.”

“But what if taking it out causes enough chaos that the universe doesn’t know what to do? What if it fucks shit up enough that the whole thing is screwed?”

Ten can hear the frown in Jaehyun’s voice as he says, “First of all, language. And secondly, where is all of this coming from? These theoretical ideas are fun to think of, but there’s no way to answer them with practical science. The only way you can get your answers is if you actually simulate the situations, which are simply unrealistic.”

The office falls silent for a minute. 

Mark says, “If you think you’re doing the right thing but it’s incredibly risky, would you still do it, Doc?”

“I suppose I would,” Jaehyun replies reluctantly. “But it depends.”

“Then that’s enough for me.”

Ten hears the sound of Mark getting up and heading for the door. Hastily, he jumps a few feet away and pretends he’s only just walked up to the office when Mark opens the door.

“Oh, hey hyung,” Mark waves. “What are you doing here?”

Ten clears his throat. “Taeyong asked me to deliver Jaehyun’s lunch,” he says as he holds up the lunchbox for proof of his statement. “See? I’m telling the truth.”

Mark’s eyebrows quirk in confusion. “Uh, okay? See you later, I guess.” He offers Ten a quick salute before he walks past him, his scribbled on Converse squeaking on the shiny floor tiles.

 

That being said, it gets hard sometimes. Harder than Ten thought it would be.

Every time he looks at Johnny across the dinner table or in bed, Ten can’t help but think that soon, he won’t be able to see him anymore. Some time in the near future, Johnny will start learning how to wake up alone and live in an empty apartment. He’ll grieve for a while, and that’s what Ten fears the most. The universe can fuck him over all it wants, but he can’t let Johnny be hurt.

And the one morning, after gradual changes each day, Johnny will wake up and stop mourning. He’ll probably fall in love again and remarry because he is someone who deserves to be loved. 

Ten wants that so badly. He’s okay with not being able to love Johnny if someone else can love him instead.

 

Mark, however, remains the one part of his life that hasn’t been solved yet.

Oddly enough, the phone calls have stopped coming. Ten spent a lot of time speculating who this woman could be, but in the end, he still had no clue. She could be anyone, really. She did mention a long time ago that she didn’t have to be his parent to know his secrets, and that Mark doesn’t even know anything about her involvement. Maybe she wasn’t even a person and was just some higher being.

But if the woman and the calls made zero sense, neither did Mark. Ten still doesn’t know why the woman knows so much about him other than because she loves him, but that’s incredibly vague. Why does Mark carry those pictures in his wallet everywhere he goes? Why did he bring a photo album all the way to Korea? Why did he seem so pessimistic about his future? What on earth was he talking to Jaehyun about?

One night, while Ten was up waiting for Johnny with a glass of wine in his hand, he notices a wallet sitting on the coffee table. It’s Mark’s, he realizes. He picks it up and heads over to the guest room to return it.

He probably drank a little too much wine, because he fumbles over the carpet and the wallet slips out of his grip. Some of its contents fall on the floor. Ten hurriedly sets his wine on the coffee table and gathers the stray bills and pictures that escaped.

_Pictures, huh?_

Ten can’t help but look at the photos. They’re cute, and he’s a sucker for wholesome things like friends and family. The one with young Mark burying the time capsule is absolutely adorable, and so is the one with Mark and his mom sitting on the fence. She really is pretty, Ten notes. She wasn’t shockingly glamorous like Joohyun, but there was a kindness that made her already attractive face even prettier. And then the picture of Mark winning the science competition with his friends? Also adorable. They just look so happy, even if they admittedly do look a little nerdy with their matching shirts reading “Regional Science Fair 2044”.

_Wait._

_2044?_

Slowly, Ten sets the photo down on the carpet. He grabs his wine glass and takes a long sip. 

It’s probably just some inside joke, he reasons. They’re self-proclaimed science nerds, so one of them had the idea of making things extra confusing for dumb future alcoholics like Ten. Maybe it’s binary? That’s a thing, right? Ten has no fucking clue how binary works, but he bets it’s probably just that. Right. It’s not like it could actually be the year 2044. That’s just stupid.

With that in mind, Ten cheerfully opens Mark’s wallet to put the pictures back inside. Such cute kids, he thinks to himself. So adorable with their little inside science jokes. Great. Oh and look at that, it’s Mark’s driver’s permit. What a cute smile.

And then he sees eight words that make his blood run cold.

_Mark Seo_

_Date of birth: August 2, 2027_

 

Yerim wipes her mouth with a napkin and pushes away her now empty pasta plate. “How long have you known?” She asks, her voice hoarse from all her crying.

“Since he told me he was going to Seoul on an internship,” Wendy says. She offers another cookie to Yerim, who gladly accepts it. “He thinks he can lie to me, but he can’t. I knew there was something else he was planning.”

“I’m guessing John doesn’t know?” Yerim mumbles through bites of her cookie.

“Definitely not. I helped cover Mark’s tracks,” Wendy smiles ruefully. “He never even told Mark about his first marriage. It’s been twenty years but it’s still painful for him. I don’t blame him.”

Yerim stares at the crumbs on the table. “How did Markie find out, then? Did you tell him?”

“Not at first. It was actually Doc who first let it slip, and then Mark asked me,” Wendy replies.

She gets up and takes their plates over to the sink. With her back to Yerim, she says, “I couldn’t just lie to him. Of course it didn’t feel right to tell him something so personal about his dad, and I get that it’s not my place to spill things John’s still not ready to talk about. But I also couldn’t let Mark keep on living in the dark.”

“It sucks,” Wendy continues with a sad smile. “On one hand I betrayed my husband’s trust, but on the other our son finally knew the truth. Mark promised to never mention it in front of John, but he couldn’t quench his curiosity. I caught him snooping around John’s stuff so many times, but I couldn’t tell him to stop. A large part of me believed and still believes that he should know.”

Yerim snags another cookie. “Were you the only one who knew? You and Doc?”

“And Doc’s husband,” Wendy confirms. “It’s different for them though. They’ve known John long before I came into his life. They were friends with his husband, so they were pretty surprised when I started dating John.”

“But you love him, don’t you?” Yerim interjects. “You said that as long as he and Mark are happy, you’re okay. What about you?”

“What about me?” 

Frustrated, Yerim slams down her fist on the table. “You’re willing to let Mark do this stupid, stupid thing? You’re okay with never having this life?”

“I am,” Wendy states calmly. Her face is oddly serene when she says, “Because I trust Mark. I believe in his ability to do the right thing. And because I don’t want John to grieve any more.”

 

The guest room door swings open to reveal a pajama-clad Mark, yawning as he rubs his eye. “Hi, hyung. Why are you still awake?”

Ten grips his empty wine glass and, without warning, throws it across the room.

Mark jumps, terror spreading across his face as he eyes the shattered glass a few feet away. “Hyung?” He whispers timidly. “Hyung, what’s wrong?”

Silently, Ten flicks his wrist to send Mark’s wallet flying across the floor. It stops right at Mark’s slippered feet, open to his driver's permit.

“Why don’t you,” Ten keeps his voice as even as possible despite the anger coursing through his veins. “Explain to me who you are. _Exactly_ who you are.”

“I’m Mark Lee from Canada,” Mark begins, nervously wringing his hands together.

Ten scoffs. “Why don’t you fucking try that again, Mark _Seo_ ” he says, rising from his seat on the carpet. “Tell me who you really are.”

Mark hangs his head in shame.

“Is this some kind of prank? Because it’s a really sick joke. I don’t know what teenagers find funny these days, but this is crossing the line.”

“I need you,” Ten lowers his voice to a warning tone. “To get all your stuff and leave my house immediately. I’m going to go to bed, and if you’re still here in the morning I’ll call the cops.”

“Wait!” Mark’s head snaps back up, his eyes wide and panicked. “Wait!” He holds his hands in front of him in surrender. “I can explain, hyung. I really can.”

Ten’s first instinct is to drag the kid out by the scruff of his neck and get rid of him forever, but he feels a twinge of pity in his heart. Up until ten minutes ago, he liked Mark. He even contemplated asking Mark to come back next summer so Johnny would have something to look forward to. Hell, he’d been so distracted by his looming death that he’d forgotten about Mark’s secrets in the first place.

He waves his hand for Mark to continue.

Shakily, Mark bends down to pick up his wallet. “I’m Mark Seo from Canada,” he says. “And I’m Johnny’s son from the future.”

A rush of blood to the head forces Ten to sit down, clutching his temples as he takes deep, steadying breaths. It’s one thing to see it in the pictures, but it’s a different beast entirely to actually hear Mark say it out loud. 

“Alright,” Ten gestures for the teenager to come sit next to him. “Tell me the full story.”

Mark sits a good two feet away, like he’s planning on making a run for it at any second. He keeps wringing his hands together and won’t look Ten directly in the eye.

“Well, I’m from Vancouver. My mom’s originally from Ontario so she and Dad moved back to Canada to start a family,” Mark says.

At the mention of Mark’s dad, Ten feels another headache coming. “By ‘Dad’ you mean Johnny?” He groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This’ll really take some time to get used to.”

Mark cracks a small smile. “Actually, he just goes by John now. But yeah.”

“Uh,” he coughs awkwardly. “Anyway, like I said before, I have three best friends who are all really into science. I’m pretty close with Dad, but there were a lot of things he didn’t tell me. Like the fact that he was married before.”

“Then one day Hyuck’s dad mentioned something about this guy called Ten. I’d never heard of him, so I asked my mom about him. She told me what happened.”

Mark finally meets Ten’s eyes with an uncharacteristically solemn expression. “Dad’s first marriage ended because his husband died. He met Mom a year later, and they started dating. I think Dad wanted a fresh start, so that’s also why they left Seoul. Then I happened. Hyuck's dad found some equation for time travel, which I used to get here. And here we are.”

There’s something distinctly wrong with hearing about your own death from a kid from the future. It sounds like some shitty time travel drama, except it’s not a drama and it’s Ten’s life. 

“Okay,” Ten pauses to collect his bearings. “So I die. How?”

“You get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but you’re tired so you slip and hit your head pretty hard against the sink,” Mark says. “And you tell Dad you’re okay and just stop the bleeding, but then you don’t wake up in the morning.”

Ten blinks. “That’s it?” He demands incredulously. “That’s how I go? Just that easily?”

Mark bites his lip. “Yeah. That’s why it was so hard for Dad to accept—it happened so quickly and seemed so preventable. It’s not like some freak accident or illness; it was just so fast.”

“Okay, so now I know. When it happens I can just like, call an ambulance or something,” Ten suggests. “I mean, it’s such a simple solution.”

“It doesn’t work that way,” Mark interrupts sadly. “I…I did some research. You can’t just change the future without some kind of sacrifice. The universe doesn’t work like that.”

“You can either let things happen as they’re originally supposed to, or you can Reset.”

“Reset?” Ten echoes in confusion. “Reset to where?”

Mark hesitates. “I’m not sure,” he admits. “But I’ve read these cases where if you choose Reset, something big happens. Like you completely change some part of your life.”

There’s way too many words being tossed at him at once and he’s just so goddamn tired of everything. The confusion, the mysterious people, and now this. Ten lets out another groan and buries his face in his hands. “How long do I have?” He whispers.

“Three days,” Mark replies sadly.

 

“Hello?”

“Hey…it’s me.”

“Seulgi?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, but weren’t you the one who said you never wanted to contact me ever again? Being a little hypocritical there, aren’t you?”

“Shut up.”

“Whatever.”

“Hey, Soo? Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Do you think I’ll ever be able to see her again?”

“…”

“Soo?”

“Yeah, sorry. Honestly, I don’t know. It probably wouldn’t hurt to try, but who knows. The world never makes sense.”

“I miss her.”

“I know you do. That’s why you’ve been sending the roses, right?”

The line goes dead.

 

Long after Mark has gone back to bed, Ten remains rooted in place on the couch, staring at nothing in particular. He stays there for what feels like an eternity, but it’s probably only been an hour by the time Johnny unlocks the door.

  
“Hey, you,” Johnny greets him with a kiss. “Whatcha thinking about?”

_Oh, nothing. Just my looming death_.

“I can’t decide if I want to watch a sad drama or a funny one. Help me decide?” Ten says instead.

Johnny chuckles. “Let’s save that for tomorrow. I promise I’ll be home by six.”

Before he can move, Ten pulls him down by the wrist. “Johnny,” he says seriously. “Can you take work off three days from now?”

“Three days? That’s a Sunday, Ten. I don’t have work.”

“Oh, right,” Ten concentrates on the veins in Johnny’s arm. “Then can you promise you won’t run off to the office? Even if you get an urgent call?”

Johnny’s eyes turn soft. “I promise I won’t leave you.”

_But I can’t._

Ten musters up a smile. “Thank you. I love you.”

 

Ten gets home early the next day, which he usually enjoys but today he dreads. Because Mark already texted saying he’d be staying behind at the lab a little longer, and now that Ten’s alone he’s got way too much time to drown in his thoughts.

That is, until the teal dial phone rings.

“Hey,” Ten mumbles miserably into the handset. “What’s new?”

“I’m supposed to present you with your options today,” the woman replies cheerfully.

Ten drags a hand down his face. “Right. I already got the truth out of Mark, so I know what’s up. I can die or I can create this Reset thing, right?”

“I assumed he’d tell you everything by now,” she remarks. “How predictable.”

“I don’t have the patience for this today, so just tell me what the Reset is.”

“Well,” the woman hesitates. “It’s complicated. You know how you’re going to die, so now you know how to prevent it from happening. But in that case, you’re altering the timeline too much. Something else needs to be lost.”

Ten’s blood runs cold. “Are you telling me I need to kill Johnny?” He whispers.

“It’s an option, but certainly not a desirable one. What I mean is, if no one dies, then the Reset occurs. You’ll relive your entire life without ever meeting Johnny, and while he won’t remember anything about his past life, you will have to live with the knowledge of what you’ve done. You won’t ever be able to meet him again.”

“Ten,” she continues gently. “I’d think carefully about this if I were you. Because no matter what you choose, you’re going to suffer.”

The second the woman hangs up, there’s a knock on the door.

 

“Hey oppa, sorry but I won’t be home until late tonight. Gotta sort out some drama with a friend first. I’ll see you later, Sungjae.”

Sooyoung hangs up when the tinkling bells of the café doors ring, signaling the entrance of a weary-looking Joohyun. The older woman smiles tiredly and plops down in the chair across from Sooyoung, quickly ordering a black coffee before turning her full attention to her friend.

“You look like shit,” Sooyoung remarks bluntly.

She’s not exactly wrong. Joohyun still looked beautiful as usual, but with her hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail and smudged makeup, she doesn’t look anything like how Sooyoung’s used to.

Joohyun groans. “I’m fucking exhausted. I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

Sooyoung arches a brow. “Oh? What’s wrong?”

“Do you,” Joohyun stops, her expression suggesting she’s having some kind of mental battle. “Do you ever feel like there’s something you should be remembering, but you just can’t?”

A chill runs down Sooyoung’s spine. “Like what?” She asks slowly.

“I don’t know. Just lately I’ve been getting this feeling that something weird’s been going on. First Ten, then you, and now I’m lying awake all night trying to remember what I’ve forgotten,” Joohyun groans again and presses her forehead against the table.

Sooyoung gapes. _How is this possible? How do you remember?_

Joohyun lifts her head up and cracks a tired smile. “I feel like it’s something important—I _know_ it’s something important, but it’s like my mind’s not letting me remember. Is that weird?”

“Um,” Sooyoung coughs. “I’m not really in your situation, so I wouldn’t know. But I guess that doesn’t exactly sound normal.”

_This is not possible. This is not possible. This is not fucking possible._

Joohyun sighs and takes a small sip of her coffee. “Maybe I’m just going crazy. Forget I said anything, Sooyoungie. I’m sure it’ll all pass quickly.”

“Yeah,” Sooyoung grins. “I’m sure it will.”

_What the hell is going on?_

 

Seulgi waves. “Hi,” she mumbles awkwardly. “Can I come in?”

Quite truthfully, the last thing Ten needs to deal with right now is crazy Kang Seulgi, but it suddenly occurs to him that she is the only one he knows who’s gone through the same thing. And she’s come out of it _alive_ , which means she cheated death. 

The only question is at what cost did she remain alive.

“Sure,” he answers. “Come right in.”

She’s got some paper clutched in her hands, and her grip only tightens as she seats herself down on the couch. Everything about her screams nervous from the way her feet keep tapping to how she won’t stop biting her nails.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Ten offers.

Seulgi jumps slightly. “Oh no, I’m okay,” she mutters hastily. “I uh, just need to talk about something.”

Ten nods to let her continue.

She takes a deep breath. “Okay,” Seulgi says. “Okay. I guess you already know about your options, right? You seem pretty dead already.”

“Ha ha,” Ten drawls sarcastically. “Very funny.”

“I’m sorry. Well. Okay. So I guess I should explain everything?”

“Please do.”

Seulgi grips her rolled up paper even tighter. She doesn’t look angry like the first time Ten literally ran into her or stressed like the time Ten barged into her apartment. She just looks lost.

“I got it at Jongwoon-oppa’s thrift store. I thought it was pretty, but I remember the look on his face when I paid for it. He looked like he wanted to say something important, but decided not to.”

“I was living with my girlfriend at the time, and things were good. Better than good, actually. We were happy. But then one day I get this call from it, which doesn’t make sense because I only bought the phone as an accessory and it wasn’t a working line. I answered it anyway, and it was the voice of my best friend telling me I was going to die.”

“Obviously I didn’t buy it, so the next day I asked her why she would prank me like that. She genuinely had no idea what I was talking about, so I told myself I just made it all up. Except I didn’t, because I kept getting the calls, and it was always my best friend’s voice on the other end.”

“For about a month, I kept on getting the weird calls. She said that the sole purpose of the phone was for people who died too early and left someone they loved behind to get a second chance. But of course you couldn’t just skip death entirely. Some kind of sacrifice needed to be made.”

“Then one day she told me I had three choices: Kill myself, kill my girlfriend, or Reset. I obviously couldn’t kill my girlfriend, and I’d heard from the caller that when I died, my girlfriend suffered a lot. I couldn’t let her suffer like that. So I chose to Reset. And here I am now.”

Seulgi appears physically and mentally exhausted at the end of her story. Ten, however, still has so many questions.

“The woman calling me,” he begins, ‘said that if I Reset, I’ll relive my whole life as if I never met my husband. She said that I can never meet him again. Is that true?”

Seulgi’s sad smile says enough.

Ten clenches his hands into fists. “But why?” He demands angrily. “Why does it have to work like this? Why can’t we all just be happy?”

“Because the world isn’t happy, Ten,” Seulgi responds sagely. “You can’t get anything good if you don’t suffer. I chose to let us both live, but because of that I can never meet her. I see her cross the street sometimes and I know where she lives, but if I ever try to talk to her something prevents it from happening. I leave roses on her doorstep because it’s the only way I can communicate with her. I don’t have any other choice.”

Suddenly, Ten remembers the crushed rose bouquet Seulgi had been holding during their first meeting. He thinks of how sad she’d been when she said that the person she was giving flowers to didn’t even know Seulgi existed. He didn’t think she meant that literally.

Ten doesn’t want to end up like that. He doesn’t want to live if it means living in so much misery.

As if she could read his mind, Seulgi timidly placed her hand over Ten’s. “It’s unfair. It’s cruel. It doesn’t make any sense. But it’s a decision you have to make anyway. Just make sure you make the right one.”

She stands up to go, but Ten has one more question. “Noona, do you know why it was your best friend? Like, how do the callers get chosen?” He asks.

“I’m not sure,” Seulgi admits. “But I think it has to come from someone close to the person you left behind. Someone who loves them, too.”

 

“I’ll see you later, Yerim. Thanks for everything today,” Wendy says, reaching over to hug Yerim in the passenger seat.

Yerim thanks her and gets out of the car. But just as Wendy is about to drive away, Yerim thinks of something.

“Wait!” She shouts, jogging over to the driver’s side window. 

Wendy rolls the window down and shoots Yerim a questioning look.

“I went up to the old treehouse the other day,” Yerim says. “And I saw this phone there. It was like an old one. You know, one of those where you have to turn a dial to get each number. Did Mark put that there?”

A shadow passes over Wendy’s face. “No,” she responds. “He doesn’t know about that.”

She drives away before Yerim can ask any more.

 

When the phone rings this time, Ten is already waiting for it. He pounces on the handset, the words flying out his mouth a mile a minute. “Who are you? You’re someone who loves Johnny, right? What’s your relation to Mark? How did you get this phone?”

There’s a long, long pause on the other end. It stretches on for so long that Ten begins to think the woman hung up already, but he can faintly hear her breathing so he knows she’s still there. And he’s not about to let her hang up without answering him.

“It’s finally come down to this, huh?” The woman chuckles.

“It sure as hell has.”

Another beat of silence passes before she sighs loudly. “Alright,” she says. “I guess you can know now.”

Ten holds his breath in anticipation.

“My name is Wendy Son. My Korean name is Son Seungwan, but I don’t usually go by that. Mark is my son, and I'm married to your husband.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could I resist making Sungjoy a thing? Obviously not.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler: Shit goes down.

Seulgi wakes up to the sound of rapid pounding on the door.

Yawning, she stretches out her back lethargically as she traipses over to answer it. She’d fallen asleep on the couch again with her sketchbook in hand, which wasn’t the most comfortable of positions. These days, it felt like she spent more time on her couch than her bed.

“Who is it?” She calls out sleepily, loo lazy to bother with the peephole.

“Unnie,” Sooyoung’s voice responds, a hint of urgency to her tone. “We need to talk.”

Seulgi blinks in surprise. Considering the way she’d treated Sooyoung last time, why would the younger woman ever want to come back? It’d already been a miracle that Sooyoung had picked up the phone, but actually coming to see Seulgi? This had to be something serious.

Reluctantly, Seulgi unlocks the door and opens it. Sooyoung rushes in immediately, eyes frantically searching all over the apartment.

“Soo? What’s wrong?” Seulgi asks, cautiously closing the door and coming up behind her former best friend.

Sooyoung whirls around. “Unnie, has anything weird happened recently? Anything _really_ weird?”

“Huh?” Seulgi tilts her head in confusion. “I mean, not really. I did meet someone who has the phone, but other than that not really.”

“She’s starting to remember,” Sooyoung states. “And I don’t know how.”

Seulgi freezes.

“How?” She whispers quietly. “I never talked to her. I even stopped giving her flowers a month ago.”

Sooyoung groans, digging her nails into her scalp in anguish. “I don’t know what’s going on, unnie. She’s not supposed to ever remember anything. Well, she doesn’t technically actually know, but she said she’s starting to feel like there’s something she should remember. Unnie, what if she eventually remembers everything?”

Automatically, Seulgi glances over at the portion of her wall she’d dedicated to just sketches of Joohyun. Beautiful, perfect Joohyun. The love of Seulgi’s life. The one she let go, but she regrets doing so every day.

“Unnie,” Sooyoung grips her by the shoulders. “Who has the phone now?”

Seulgi doesn’t get how that’s relevant to her current situation, but Sooyoung looks determined. “His name is Ten. He lives downstairs,” she replies.

Sooyoung pales. “Oh my god,” she whispers, covering her mouth with her hands. “Oh my god.”

 

According to Mark, Ten now has only two days left to live. And he still hasn’t made a decision.

On one hand, he loves Johnny. He loves his friends and his job and his life, and he doesn’t want to lose any of that. Call him selfish, but Ten doesn’t want to die. But he knows that no matter what, he and Johnny won’t be together. One of them will die, or the Reset will force them apart. And Ten can’t let Johnny die instead of him. He just can’t.

Ten’s so immersed in his thoughts that he doesn’t even notice Taeyong waving a hand in front of his face. “Hey, earth to Tenneth,” Taeyong calls, peering up at him with concern. 

It’s Saturday, so there’s no work. Yesterday, Ten bid goodbye to the kids, hugging them extra hard in case he never saw them again. He even hugged Joohyun and Sooyoung. Today, however, Johnny was called up to the office, so Ten decided to spend some time with Jaehyun and Taeyong.

Well, at least he meant to. Jaehyun was holed up inside his study on some “super important amazing business”, so it was just Ten and Taeyong sitting in the kitchen whilst drinking tea.

“Sorry,” Ten apologizes sheepishly. “I don’t know why I’m so distracted right now.”

Taeyong purses his lips and crosses his arms. “Ten, usually I wouldn’t pry, but you’ve been saying you’re sorry an awful lot recently. You’ve also been distracted way too much, too. You can lie to me if you want, but I’m going to ask you this one last time: Are you okay?”

The excuse is already on the tip of his tongue. It would be so easy to just brush off Taeyong’s concerns and say everything’s okay. But Ten is so tired. He’s tired of lying and having to bear this burden by himself, because how can he be expected to choose whether he wants to live or die? How can he choose between the man he loves more than anything and his own life?

“Yong,” Ten says slowly, focusing on his mug. His untouched tea had long since gone cold. “What would you do if you had to choose between yourself and Jaehyun?”

Taeyong looks absolutely taken aback. “What? Tennie, how is this at all related to my question?” He demands, a flicker of irritation in his expression.

“Just answer it,” Ten pleads.

Taeyong sighs, clearly taking pity on his friend. “Well,” he contemplates. “I guess it depends on the situation, but ultimately, I’d want him to be happy. I think I’d be okay with that.”

“You know,” he continues, fondly glancing over to the closed study door. “Jaehyunnie’s crazy. He’ll probably become a mad scientist soon if he’s not already one, but as long as I love him, I’ll support him. He doesn’t make me feel stupid or inferior even though he’s so much smarter and more accomplished. He always makes time for me even when he’s busy. He loves me and treats me well, and even though he can be weird and scattered, I think it’s enough.”

“So I think that no matter what happens, if Jaehyun’s happy, then I’ll be okay. Even if he doesn’t love me anymore, it’ll be hard but I can live with it.”

Ten feels dizzy. Everything Taeyong just said was way too deep and hit way too close to home. Because he thinks the same—it’s okay if Johnny doesn’t love him a long as he’s happy—but he’s also so goddamn afraid. He doesn’t want to die. He wants to spend his days at the daycare and with his friends and loved ones. He loves his life. Why does he have to choose? Why is this happening?

Tenderly, Taeyong clasps his hand over Ten’s. His doe-like eyes are sympathetic and understanding as he says, “Tennie, I don’t know what’s going on with you. If you don’t want to tell me, I respect that. I can tell you’re not okay, no matter how much you pretend to be. But I promise you’ll be okay in the end. I believe in you.”

Ten bows his head down. He almost cries, but at the last second he manages not to. 

He has a feeling there will be plenty of tears to come.

 

"I just don't understand," Sooyoung slams her cup of coffee down on the table as hard as she can, causing a large amount to spill over the sides and splash onto Seulgi's table. "How is any of this possible?"

Seulgi observes the way the coffee stain spreads across the tablecloth. "I don't know any more than you, Soo. I thought the whole point of Reset was that we were completely out of each other's lives," she comments.

Sooyoung hesitates. "I mean, that's what the letter told me, too. I always thought it was weird that you were able to send her flowers, but maybe that doesn't count as officially meeting her. So how is she remembering?"

"More importantly," she adds in a hurry. "Ten has the phone now, which means he'll...he'll..."

Sooyoung is not the crying type. Once she broke her wrist and Sungjae cried way more than she did. She refuses to cry right now, but it's tempting.

Seulgi shakes her head sadly. "Yeah, he will. But maybe weird things are happening because of him? Like, I went to go see Jongwoon-oppa at the thrift store yesterday, but he was gone. Completely gone. The store was empty and it had a For Sale sign on the door. Why would he suddenly ditch town now?"

"Maybe," Sooyoung muses, tapping her fingers impatiently against the table. "Maybe it's not just Ten. What makes him so different from you and all the others?"

"Actually," Seulgi springs up up from her seat. "When he came here, he didn't even know he was going to die. And that's the first thing you told me, right?"

Sooyoung nods slowly. "What are you trying to say, unnie? That he won't actually die?"

"Oh he will. But if I remember correctly, he was just confused because the caller knew he was going to get a visitor, and then he did. He thought I knew something about his visitor, but I had no idea what he was talking about," Seulgi says, clapping her hands together once in triumph.

Sooyoung's jaw drops. "A visitor? You mean Mark?"

"I didn't get a name, but maybe," Seulgi replies.

"Holy shit," Sooyoung gasps. "What if all this weird shit is happening because of Mark?"

 

Ten dismisses himself a few hours later, citing the need to clean the house and finish writing reports as an excuse. Taeyong shoots him one last concerned glance before letting him go.

The very second he opens the door, the dial phone goes off.

At this point, Ten isn’t even mad anymore. If anything, he’s resigned to his fate. Wendy’s just a messenger, not the actual root cause of his problem. And besides, whatever he chooses, he’ll suffer in some way or another.

“Hello?” He asks into the handset despite already knowing who it is. He’s known all along, but now that he actually knows the mysterious woman’s name, it feels weird to be this formal.

“Hi, Ten. How are you coping?” Wendy says quietly. She doesn’t sound as calm and whimsical as usual, which Ten appreciates.

Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, Ten says, “Not great. It’s been, well, pretty rough.”

Lowering his voice, he adds, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Understandable,” Wendy says. “I’m sorry about everything.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Wendy’s voice is strangely resolute when she speaks up again. “It’s not, but I wish none of this happened. I love John and Mark to death, but I wish you hadn’t died. John loved you. I think he still does, even if he loves me and Mark, too. I don’t think he ever quite got over you.”

Normally Ten would feel comforted by thinking of how much Johnny loves him, but right now it just makes him feel sick to his stomach.

“What’s he like?” He whispers, afraid of the answer.

Wendy seems to sense his apprehension. “I met him about a year after you died,” she explains. “It was at this support group for people who lost loved ones. I was there because my mother died. We became friends and eventually started going out.”

“He didn’t like talking about you. Not like he was trying to pretend you never existed, but because it made him too sad. I could tell he wanted to get out of Seoul, so we moved to Canada for a fresh start. He seemed happier, and then Mark came along and he lit up.”

Ten smiles to himself. Johnny’s always loved children, and Ten can easily imagine the joy on Johnny’s face when he held his son for the first time.

“I think he stopped going by Johnny after you died, because he’s only ever introduced himself as John. It’s like he tried to shed everything that made him sad, so he forced himself to move on. He didn’t want Mark to know because it’s too painful for him. But Mark found out eventually anyway.”

“Then one day a few months ago, I found this phone in the basement. John said it was the only thing he kept from your apartment together, but he couldn’t quite explain why he still had it. And then a few days later, I found a letter for me in the mail. It had instructions explaining how to call you and what to say regarding your…options.”

“Wendy,” Ten interrupts. “Why are you doing this? Why would you call me in the first place? You do realize that if I change something, you may not be able to meet Johnny? You may not be able to have Mark?”

“I know,” she replies. Her voice is back to calm and unaffected again. “But it’s okay. I don’t mind if I get left behind.”

A pang of guilt knock the air out of Ten’s lungs. Wendy’s a good person. She’s selfless and kind and loving towards not only her son and husband, but to someone she’s never even met. To someone her husband loves more than her. How many people would do the same in her situation? She’s too good.

“Anyway, this is the last time I can call you. Tomorrow’s your last day to make your decision. Do whatever you think is right, Ten.”

She hangs up, leaving Ten to wonder what is the right decision, or if there’s even one in the first place.

 

Mark usually stays home working on labs on weekends, but today he’s out with a friend from the lab. Ten’s all but ready to collapse on the bed and sleep until dinner, but then he notices the door to the guest room left ajar, practically inviting him to go in.

Fuck privacy. This is his own house.

Surprisingly, Mark’s kept the room neat. Well, neat for seventeen year old boy standards. Sure the duvet isn’t exactly even and is fairly wrinkled, but at least there aren’t a bunch of clothes strewn across the floor. And it doesn’t look like Mark’s brought any porn with him—not that he seems like the type of kid to do that, but Ten can never be too sure with teenagers after finding high school Johnny’s porn stash. 

The only interesting thing about the room is Mark’s photo album sitting innocently on the bed. And, just like the open door, the album is just begging for Ten to come over and open it.

Ten flops down on the bed on his stomach, kicking his feet in the air like a child as he flips through Mark’s album. Like the pictures in Mark’s wallet, the photo album is adorable and really well done. Mark’s mom—AKA Wendy, AKA Johnny’s wife, AKA Johnny’s second marital partner—has good artistic taste. 

He goes through the pictures Mark showed him the other day. A lot of them are with Yerim, Ten notices. There’s one picture of Yerim with an unfamiliar older woman he assumes to be her mother. They’re both pretty and seem sweet like Wendy.

Ten smiles when he finds a photo of Mark and Lucas. In it, Lucas is in the midst of blowing out the candles on a birthday cake while Mark grins at him. They can’t be much older than thirteen or fourteen, but Mark already looks at Lucas like he’s the sun. It reminds Ten of the way he used to look at Johnny when they were the same age, back before he knew Johnny liked him back. Poor Mark and his unrequited crush.

In all the pictures with Donghyuck, he looks noticeably younger and more childish than the other three. He’s small, only around the same height as Yerim who doesn’t look too tall herself. He’s got really cute cheeks though that are still filled with baby fat, and a toothy grin. Ten laughs out loud when he gets to a picture of a young Donghyuck making a funny face as he poses with two older men—probably his parents, since Mark mentioned Donghyuck having two dads. The taller of the dads is pale-skinned and has pushed back black hair and a dimpled smile. The other man is considerably shorter and skinnier, with a delicate frame and small face. He has really big eyes though that enhance his pixie-like appearance.

_Wait_.

Perhaps it’s just a trick of the light, but Donghyuck’s parents look awfully familiar.

Ten blinks once, twice, thrice. Then another time just for good measure. Because even after all the shit he’s gone through in the past few months, the cherry on top is the fact that Donghyuck’s dads are undoubtedly Jaehyun and Taeyong.

Immediately, the gears in Ten’s head start whirring. Mark said one of Donghyuck’s dads is a scientist. Donghyuck’s dad found the equation for time travel, which Mark used to come here. If Ten remembers correctly, there was also one peculiar dinner conversation regarding Jaehyun and time travel. Furthermore, when Mark was showing Ten the photo album, he suddenly shut the book somewhere around the middle, citing it as the section being too personal. It had to be because of this exact picture. Because Ten would recognize his best friends and know something wasn’t right.

Beneath all his shock, he couldn’t help but shed a single happy tear. At least Taeyong and Jaehyun get a happy life.

He continues flipping through the book. Most of it is just Mark with his mom or with his friends. There’s one of the four friends at a different science fair from the one in the wallet picture, and this time Lucas holds the trophy. He’s by far the tallest in the friend group, and when he holds it above his head it’s barely in view of the camera. Again, Mark’s smiling at Lucas in that cheesy, puppy love way like in the dramas. 

Mark and his friends at an amusement park. Mark bundled up in a thick parka while he plays in the snow. Very young Mark and Yerim waving out the windows of a treehouse. Yerim doing a handstand in the yard. Lucas holding a screwdriver fake menacingly at the camera. Donghyuck stuffing his face with ramyun. Mark missing an eyebrow and Yerim guiltily holding a razor. Wendy and Jaehyun holding chemistry textbooks. Taeyong hugging Donghyuck. Yerim’s mother and Wendy presumably singing into microphones in front of a choir. Jaehyun and the four kids with frizzy hair and soot covering their faces. Mark holding his hands up in peace signs in front of a Tupac poster.

The album isn’t completely filled out, and Ten can tell he’s nearing the end of the decorated pages. He flips past a picture of Mark jumping into a swimming pool to find the last photo—and it makes him cover his mouth with a hand.

It’s Johnny. More specifically, it’s Johnny and Wendy and Mark sitting on the front steps of their porch together. It must be a recent picture, because Mark looks the same. He’s seated between his parents with a huge smile while Johnny has an arm wrapped around both of them. Johnny looks good, Ten can’t help but think. His hair’s a little long right now, but in this picture some twenty years later, it’s shorter and neater. His smile is genuine as he avoid looking at the camera but instead at his family with a certain softness in his eyes. 

Johnny looks _happy_.

Ten can’t stop the tears that fall down his face. This is the life Johnny used to want. It’s the life he _deserves_. He deserves a family and a house with a white picket fence and a good job as a judge. He deserves happiness. He deserves a wife like Wendy, who loves her husband so much she’s willing to let the past change even if it means she misses out on the life she currently has. He deserves a son like Mark, who loves his father so much he’s willing to go back in time and find a way to make him less sad.

And Ten can’t take that away from him. Not just Johnny’s future, but Mark’s entire life. Mark is a good person and a great son. He deserves to live.

 

Somewhere in Seoul, Kim Junsu stands in front of a store window. He stares longingly at a magazine cover featuring top model Ahn Heeyeon, wishing he could turn back time again so he could choose differently.

Somewhere in Seoul, Park Jeongsu smiles forlornly at his computer screen open to popular blogger and Youtuber Kim Heechul’s page. A few hours ago, Heechul uploaded pictures from his wedding to a man named Han Geng, a handsome Chinese man. Jeongsu thinks they look rather good together.

Somewhere in Seoul, Kwon Yuri sits on her couch eating takeout with her boyfriend. The TV is on, playing some popular new drama featuring rising actress Im Yoonah. Yuri hides her sadness as she rests her head against her boyfriend’s shoulder, pretending that every time Yoonah appears on the screen, she’s gasping because of the actress’s beauty and not because it hurts.

Somewhere in Seoul, Lee Jinki picks up his nephew from soccer practice. He catches a glimpse of Head Coach Choi Minho and thinks of all the times Minho gushed over his love for the sport. Jinki smiles privately, glad that Minho still holds the same passion.

Somewhere in Seoul, Park Sunyoung sings a heartfelt ballad at karaoke. She’s had a little too much to drink and one of her male friends keeps trying to reach all the highest notes, which makes Sunyoung think of Kim Jongdae all over again. She pretends she’s crying because she’s drunk and the song is sad.

Somewhere in Seoul, Byun Baekhyun nurses his drink at the bar as the hired band plays music. They’re all very good-looking, but Baekhyun’s eyes are trained on the drummer with large ears and eyes. The man is awkwardly tall and gangly, and some might say his ears make him unattractive. But Baekhyun thinks Park Chanyeol is as beautiful as he remembers.

Somewhere in Seoul, Kang Seulgi grips a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Red roses as usual, but this time with some forget-me-nots thrown in, too. It’s a little foolish, but Seulgi wants to believe that even if they can never meet again, Bae Joohyun will eventually remember. It’s all Seulgi asks for. For the first time in a month, she places the bouquet down on Joohyun’s doorstep and leaves before anyone sees her. 

Somewhere in Seoul, Kim Jongwoon’s moving van is hit by another car, causing him to skid off the road. He blacks out just as the wailing of the ambulance sirens reaches his ears.

Somewhere in Seoul, Ten makes up his mind.

 

True to his word, Johnny reserves Sunday for Ten and Ten alone. He ushers Mark out of the house with a thick stack of won in his hands, promising the teenager that he can keep all of it. Johnny even gets up early and makes breakfast, which he delivers to Ten in bed.

“We should do this more often,” Johnny remarks as they eat waffles together. “I forgot how nice it was to be all domestic and shit.”

“Yeah,” Ten murmurs. “It’s really nice. I’ve missed this.”

Johnny grins. Then, without warning, he squeezes a glob of whipped cream onto his index finger and streaks it across Ten’s cheek.

“Bastard!” Ten screeches, shoving his plate aside to snatch at the can of whipped cream—which, unfortunately, is held way out of reach by his much taller husband.

Quick as lightning, Johnny pins Ten down on the bed and proceeds to spray whipped cream all across his nose and cheeks. Some of it gets on the pillow, but Ten can’t find it within himself to care. Especially not when he gets his revenge by pulling Johnny’s face down to his.

“Yeah, I’ve missed this,” Johnny gasps after Ten’s done with his lips.

They spend the rest of their day in lazy, peaceful bliss. At one point they rewatch an episode of their favorite drama, and some time after ordering chicken for lunch they make out sloppily in the shower. Johnny gently towel dries Ten’s hair for him, which they haven’t had time to do in years.

Mark still hasn’t come home for dinner, so Ten takes the opportunity to unbutton Johnny’s shirt and lead him to the bedroom. He doesn’t let go of him the whole time, knowing that this is it. This is the last time Ten can love him.

After cleaning up, Johnny rolls over and gathers Ten in his arms. Ten plans on waiting for him to fall asleep before leaving, but just as he thinks Johnny’s dozed off, his husband says, “Hey, Ten?”

“Mmm?” Ten nuzzles his nose against Johnny’s neck.

“What do you think about having kids?”

Internally, Ten screams. Why did this have to happen now? Why is this how his last conversation goes? Why is the world so cruel?

Externally, he smiles and plants a kiss on the underside of Johnny’s jaw. “I’d like that to happen,” he replies. It’s not a lie, but it feels like one.

_And it will happen. Except it won’t be with me. You’ll find someone else who loves you and you’ll fall in love with her, and then you’ll start a new life and have an amazing kid named Mark. He’s all you could ever ask for in a child. That’s your life, Johnny. You’ll be happy._

“I’ve thinking about it for a while,” Johnny yawns into Ten’s hair. “But maybe we should save this conversation for the morning. I’m beat. Goodnight, Ten.”

“Goodnight, Johnny.”

_Goodbye_.

Johnny’s breathing eventually evens out as he falls asleep with Ten in his arms. The temptation to just stay there and fall asleep is strong, but Ten musters the courage to slowly disentangle himself and get up. He casts one last look at Johnny before he closes the bedroom door behind him.

He doesn’t want to live a life without Johnny in it. He can’t.

Ten wipes away the tears that are threatening to fall. Taking in a deep breath, he starts walking over to the bathroom, where he’s supposed to fall and hit his head. He’ll say he’s okay, and then he’ll go back to sleep in Johnny’s arms and die. Simple.

But before he can even take two steps, he’s stopped in his tracks by a voice.

“There’s a fourth option.”

 

Something’s happening.

Yerim knows it. She’s not particularly superstitious and doesn’t believe in magic, but she knows something’s happening. Why else can’t she fall asleep right now? Why does she feel so uneasy about everything? It has to mean something important, and it has to do with Mark.

She hates him. She hates him for leaving without saying goodbye, for coming up with this stupid plan. For bearing everything by himself. She wants to forcefully drag him back to her time and shout at him for being such an idiot. She wants to remind him of all the people he’s leaving behind. She needs him to know that Donghyuck needs his favorite big brother, that she needs her best friend, and that Lucas does love him, but not in the way Mark wants.

But she loves him, too. Oh, Yerim loves him. He’s always been by her side, and she can’t imagine living without him.

 

Ten whirls around to find Mark sitting on the couch with only a lamp to light up the room. The scribbled on navy blue Converse, photo album, and wallet all sit on the coffee table in front of the teenager. Ten’s about to ask him what the hell he’s doing sitting here in the dark, but then he sees it.

Mark holds a knife in his hands.

“There’s a fourth option,” he repeats mechanically, running his fingers along the blade of the knife.

“Mark,” Ten says, slowly approaching Mark like he would a wounded animal. “Put the knife down. Now.”

Mark doesn’t show any indication that he’s heard Ten’s words. “I’ve read up on the original three options. It makes sense that the universe is all give and take—you can’t escape without someone dying or a Reset. I get it. It’s only fair. Something has to be lost. But I’ve thought of another choice.”

Ten freezes. “Mark, stop. It’s okay. I’m fine with my decision. Just let it be,” he begins.

“What if,” Mark coolly lifts his head to make eye contact with Ten. The maturity and seriousness in his gaze is wise beyond his years, and it scares Ten. “What if you eliminate something that was never supposed to be there in the first place? What if that fucks with the universe enough that everything changes?”

The meaning behind his words slowly dawns on Ten. “No,” Ten whispers. “Mark, you can’t.”

Mark stands up. “If what you get rid of never should have been present at all, then what happens? Will it change enough?”

Ten takes another tentative step forward, pausing when he sees Mark’s fingers tighten around the hilt of the knife. “Listen, I’ve made my choice. I’m an adult and you’re only seventeen. Trust me.”

Mark’s eyes bore straight through Ten. “My dad,” he says heavily, “loves me. He loves my mom, too. But I can tell he wishes you were still there. He keeps journals of stuff he did with you. Did you know that? There’s also an entire folder of your pictures he hides in his drawer. You think he’d do that if he were really over you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ten says. “None of my options allow me to be with him. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Maybe this option can,” Mark responds ominously. He lifts the knife up to chest level and says, “The universe can go fuck itself.”

“Mark,” Ten pleads desperately. “Mark, don’t do this. You deserve to live.”

For the first time, a flicker of hesitation crosses Mark’s face. Then he’s back to resolute and determined.

“Yeah, I do,” he agrees. A single tear trickles down his cheek and his hand shakes just a little as the only indication of his tension. At the end of the day, he's only seventeen. He's scared, and he should be.

“But I love my dad.”

 

Somewhere in Seoul, Kim Junsu drives his car through a busy intersection. There’s some kind of crowd up ahead, but he doesn’t particularly care to know what all the fuss is about. The traffic starts moving, but just as he does, a group of people dash in front of his car, forcing him to slam the brakes. One of the members of the group, Ahn Heeyeon, bows apologetically to him before she gets ushered off by her manager. 

Somewhere in Seoul, Park Jeongsu strolls through the night market alone. Suddenly, he runs right into a man holding a camera up. Kim Heechul apologizes profusely, explaining how he’s a Vlogger who tends to forget where he’s going when he has the camera up. Heechul babbles on an on and even asks Jeongsu if he can post this interaction online. Jeongsu can only nod.

Somewhere in Seoul, Kwon Yuri visits her boyfriend on set. He works as a lighting director for dramas, and Yuri’s used to hanging out and occasionally helping him. But she doesn’t expected to be complimented for her makeup by none other than Im Yoonah, the star of the show.

Somewhere in Seoul, Lee Jinki is late to pick up his nephew from late night practice. When he finally arrives, his nephew is sitting on a bench with his coach. Choi Minho smiles and shakes hands with Jinki, telling him how his nephew has a real natural talent for the sport. The next Son Heungmin, Minho adds with a secret smile. 

Somewhere in Seoul, Park Sunyoung absently hums a tune to herself on the train while she scrolls through her phone. It takes her several minutes to realize that someone else is humming along with her. She glances over to her side to see Kim Jongdae mouthing the words next to her.

Somewhere in Seoul, Byun Baekhyun is at his favorite bar with his friends. The band already finished up, and it’s only a matter of time before he decides to call it a night, too. But then he hears a deep voice beside him asking for a beer. Park Chanyeol seats himself next to Baekhyun, smiling briefly at him before turning to talk to his bandmates.

Somewhere in Seoul, Kang Seulgi leaves another bouquet on Bae Joohyun’s door. Right as the flowers touch the ground, the door suddenly swings open. “Hi,” Joohyun smiles brightly. “You finally came back.”

Somewhere in Seoul, Kim Jongwoon awakens to the beeping of monitors and the smell of a hospital. He doesn’t know why he’s here, but when he presses the help button, a short nurse bustles in. The nurse freezes when he sees him, squeaking out, “Jongwoon-hyung?” in a high pitched voice. His name tag reads Kim Ryeowook. Jongwoon thinks he recognizes that name. Maybe. It sounds a little familiar.

Somewhere in Seoul, Ten reaches Mark and the knife pierces flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the last chapter, I'll probably post a quick explanation for anyone who's confused. The Jongwoon thing may be hard to understand, but I swear it makes sense.


	7. epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been quite a ride but here we are.  
> Also, just for reference, the year this story took place in was 2024. I just picked the year that these characters would really be in for their ages. Mark, Yerim, and Lucas were all born in 2027 and Donghyuck in 2028. Any text in italics refers to Mark's timeline.

**2012**

“I like you!” Ten blurts out, face reddening immediately once he realizes the words actually came out.

Johnny raises a brow. He’s gotten really good at that recently, and it’s unfair how cool he looks when he does it. “Yeah, you’re my best friend. I sure hope you do,” Johnny replies flippantly.

Ten slams his foot on the ground. He’s not stupid; he knows Johnny like the back of his hand. And despite how hard Johnny tries to hide it, Ten can see that shit-eating grin hiding underneath his blasé composure. That fool likes him back, and he's going to prove it.

“You’ve already made out with me like, ten times! Is that something a normal best friend would do?” Ten points out.

“Hmm. You’re right. You’re a very special best friend, then,” Johnny winks, turning on his heel and walking away down the sidewalk.

Ten cannot fucking believe this is the boy he fell in love with. Angrily, he stomps up the steps to his family’s apartment, only to be stopped by the sound of his name.

“Ten!” Johnny shouts. “Wanna go on a date sometime?”

Without hesitation, Ten dashes down the steps and down the sidewalk to punch his idiotic best friend on the shoulder. But first he says yes.

 

**_2043_ **

_Mark timidly knocks on the bedroom door. “Lucas? Can I come in?”_

_The door swings open emphatically to reveal Lucas Wong in all his messy haired, bushy browed, staggeringly tall beauty. He has a bag of chips in his hands and crumbs all over his Batman pajama shirt._

_“Oh, hey Mark,” Lucas greets cheerfully as he pops another handful of chips into his mouth. “You interrupted my game. Now I’ve got to start over.”_

_“Uh, sorry?”_

_“No biggie,” Lucas shrugs, waving Mark in. “So, what’s up?”_

_Mark wrings his hands together. “Um, I kind of have something to ask.”_

_“Go ahead,” Lucas says. He flops down his spinning desk chair, extending his legs out as he whirls around._

_“I,” Mark takes a deep breath. “I like you, Lucas. You know what I mean.”_

_The chair stops spinning. Lucas has his back to Mark, his shoulders slumped forward. “Ah,” is all he says. “Ah.”_

_An icy fist clasps around Mark’s heart. “It’s okay!” He yells. “I get it! You like Jungwoo. That’s fine. Perfectly fine.”_

_“Mark,” Lucas begins to say. Then he stops and shakes his head. “I’m sorry,” he sighs at last._

 

**2014**

Kim Ryeowook squeezes the handset so hard he loses feeling in his fingers. Today’s the day, he thinks dimly. This is it.

“Have you decided?” The rich voice belonging to a man named Kyuhyun speaks on the other end.

“I have,” Ryeowook murmurs. He casts one last look at his fiancé sleeping on the couch. “I know what I’m doing.”

Kyuhyun usually has a mischievous voice, but now he’s nothing but sorrowful. “Good luck,” he says.

“Thanks.”

Ryeowook hangs up. He drops one last kiss on Jongwoon’s forehead and curls up next to him. He doesn’t go outside to dump the trash, where he knows an armed robber is waiting for him.

When he wakes up, he’s back in his old apartment. Alone.

 

**_2043_ **

_The coffee Jaehyun had been drinking flies out of his mouth comically as he shouts “What!” at the top of his lungs. “You asked Lucas out?”_

_Mark winces at the volume. “Say it louder, why don’t you, Doc,” he grumbles, banging his head against the table in frustration. Which is a bad idea, because the Lee and Jung household happens to own a solid wood dining table._

_Taeyong, who’s busy cleaning the windows, hits Jaehyun on the back of his head with the towel. “Don’t tease him,” Taeyong chides._

_“Sorry, sorry,” Jaehyun hastily dabs at his coffee stains. “Wow, I never would’ve guessed. Liking Thai boys must run in the Seo blood,” he remarks._

_The second he says that, both Jaehyun and Taeyong freeze._

_Mark tilts his head. “Liking Thai boys must run in the Seo blood?” He repeats slowly. “What’s that supposed to mean.”_

_“Ignore him, Markie,” Taeyong smiles a little too widely to be convincing. “You know how he is. Mad scientist and all that.”_

_“Yeah. I’m crazy. Forget I ever said anything about Ten,” Jaehyun nods rapidly._

_Mark, however, isn’t stupid. “Ten?”_

_Jaehyun’s expression suggests he’d rather jump into shark infested waters than continue this conversation. He jumps out of his seat and strides over to the bottom of the staircase. “Hey, Hyuck! Don’t you think it’s time to go?”_

_“One sec!” Donghyuck’s high pitched voice shouts over the sound of a hairdryer._

_Mark shoots Taeyong a questioning look. “What’s Doc talking about? When did Dad ever like a Thai boy? Since when was Dad bi?”_

_Taeyong won’t meet his gaze. “You should probably ask your mother,” he mumbles._

 

**2015**

“Thank you for your purchase,” Jongwoon smiles briefly. “I hope your girlfriend likes it.”

Kim Junsu with his horribly dyed blonde hair grins in return. “Thanks,” he says as he lifts the teal dial phone off the counter. “Heeyeon will love it.”

 

**_2043_ **

_“Mom?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Who’s Ten?”_

_“What?”_

_“Doc said something about the Seos liking Thai guys. Then he said something about a Ten?”_

_“Oh.”_

_“What?”_

_“Mark, you need to listen to me. Okay?”_

_“Uh, sure?”_

_“Don’t tell her father I told you. Don’t even let him know that you know. Is that a deal?”_

_“Why? Isn’t this about Dad in the first place? Why can't he know?”_

_“Mark. Is it a deal?”_

_“Deal.”_

 

**2016**

Jongwoon quirks a brow when Park Jeongsu sets the teal phone on the counter. “Will this be all?” The clerk inquires.

Jeongsu has a really nice smile. “Yup! My boyfriend’s got this obsession with Pinterest, so I thought I’d surprise him with an aesthetic gift.”

After a brief pause, he adds, “Say, what does aesthetic actually mean? Am I too old for that word?”

“You’re all good,” Jongwoon laughs, ringing up the price on the register. “And don’t worry; I don’t know what it means, either.”

 

**_2043_ **

_Yerim barges right into Mark’s room without knocking or any other announcement of her arrival. She ignores Mark, who’s diligently studying at his desk, and flops down on his unmade bed, burying her head into his pillow._

_“You know I drool sometimes,” Mark comments while he solves a particularly tough derivative._

_“Yeah, and you’re fucking gross,” Yerim shoots back, not bothering to move. She throws in a middle finger for good measure._

_Mark puts down his work and slides the chair over next to the bed. “Rough day?”_

_“Hell yeah.”_

_“Wanna talk about it?”_

_“Nah. I’ll get over it.”_

_“Cool.”_

_“Yep.”_

_Mark yanks the pillow out from under Yerim’s head. “Dude, I have a question.”_

_She glares up at him. Recently, she’d dyed the bottom portion of her hair purple. Mark thought it looked a little dumb, but he didn’t dare tell her that._

_He clears his throat. “Do you ever get the feeling that your mom is hiding something from you? Like something really big?”_

_“Of course I do,” Yerim replies smoothly. “I have my secrets, she has hers. She has every right to her own privacy.”_

_“Oh,” Mark pauses. That’s not quite the answer he was expecting. “But do you ever want to ask her about it? Don’t you want to know everything about her?”_

_Yerim snorts. “Old woman Taeyeon doesn’t have any skeletons in her closet, if that’s what you’re wondering. I’m sure there’s plenty of things she hasn’t told me, but I’m okay with that. Shouldn’t we respect our parents’ wishes?” She points out._

Goddammit _, Mark thinks._ Yerim the smartass strikes again.

_“Anyway,” she rolls onto her back, beckoning Mark to join her. He lies down next to her, staring up at his periodic table of rappers poster._

_“What kind of secrets do you think your parents have? It can’t be anything that bad,” Yerim finishes, raising a brow at her best friend._

Well it turns out my dad had this whole other life where he was married to a man who died too young, but I guess you’re right _, Mark thinks dryly._

_But it’s not something he can tell Yerim. He doesn’t want to burden her with this information._

_“I guess you’re right,” he sighs._

 

**2017**

_How the fuck…_

Kwon Yuri smiles brightly. “Hi! I found this under a pile of old coats,” she explains cheerfully as she places the dial phone on the counter. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Jongwoon nods warily. “Very,” he agrees, thinking to himself that the last time he checked, he'd thrown the phone out in the dumpster like Jeongsu told him to. 

_Very beautiful, and a very, very, bad idea._

But just like the last two times, he can’t warn her. It feels as if something is literally holding his tongue back and sealing his lips shut, making sure that no words leave his mouth. Jongwoon can only smile weakly as he accepts Yuri’s credit card.

“Have a nice day,” she waves, her new phone nicely wrapped in a paper bag.

“You too!” He says, his mouth free at last.

 

**_2043_ **

_Raising a child is a lot of work. First they’re young and dependent, needing your love to help them thrive. Then, as they gradually age, they lose their innocence. They become more independent and mature, and parents are forced to accept that their beloved child has their own, deep problems going on. And sometimes, the parents can’t do anything but watch._

_For Wendy, Mark’s always been the perfect son. He’s a little quiet at first, but he’s got a great group of friends he loves and is loved by in return. He loves science and music and discovery, and has a curiosity unrivaled by anyone else Wendy knows._

_The problem is, she’s still his mother. She knows that ever since Jaehyun slipped up six months ago, Mark’s been keeping more secrets than usual. And Wendy knows it’s not in her place to pry, but she thinks she has a pretty good idea as to what Mark is being so secretive about._

_One day, she comes home early and heads up to the master bedroom to change into casual clothes. But the door, which she knows for a fact that she closed that morning, is left ajar. She sees Mark inside, digging through John’s bedside table drawer. Wendy watches her completely oblivious son for several minutes, the truth she’d suspected all along fully dawning on her._

_Mark is curious. Too curious._

_But she lets him be. Wendy stays downstairs and pretends to read a book on the couch until Mark comes down. While he fixes himself a snack, she sneaks up to her room and quietly rearranges John’s journals to their original positions. Mark can be a little sloppy with details, but his father certainly isn’t._

 

**2018**

Lee Jinki rushes into the thrift store. His face is unnaturally pale and wan, a cold sweat breaking out across his brow and neck. 

When Jinki sees Jongwoon, he hops over the piles of trinkets left haphazardly on the floor and slams the dial phone down. 

“Get rid of this,” Jinki demands desperately. He wipes away the tears on his face, says, “Please. Make sure no one else ever buys this again. It’s cursed”

Jongwoon knows all too well what Jinki’s talking about. Well, he doesn’t know exactly what happens to each buyer, but he knows that it’s something bad. Why else would they all return something they once lauded for its beauty and uniqueness?

“No problem,” Jongwoon responds. “If you wait just another minute, I can write a check to return your money.”

Jinki whitens even more. “No,” he shakes his head insistently. “No, that’s fine. I don’t even have the receipt.”

“Nonsense. I have your purchase down in my books, and if you just give me a second—”

“I don’t want the goddamn money!” Jinki shouts, slamming his fist down on the counter. 

Jongwoon doesn’t even flinch.

Jinki groans and grabs at his hair. “Keep the money. It doesn’t matter anymore,” he mumbles dejectedly.

 

**_2043_ **

_“If you could ever change your name, what would you change it to?” Yerim proposes._

_She’s in the midst of painting Lucas’s nails while Mark and Donghyuck do face masks. It’s a Friday night tradition for four teenagers who don’t particularly like socializing to hang out at Mark’s house, and it’s a lot of fun. Sometimes they play video games or plan their next experiment. Today, however, Yerim suggested a spa day, which all the boys agreed to immediately._

_“Hmm,” Lucas taps his chin in thought. For some reason, he thought it would be cool to wear a towel turban even though his hair clearly isn’t long enough. Mark thinks he’s stupid, except not really._

_“I don’t know. I already have like, three names as it is. I don’t need another,” Lucas shrugs at last._

_“Laaaaaaame,” Donghyuck shouts. “Besides, the question isn’t about whether or not you want another name; it’s to say a name you’d want if you didn’t have your own name.”_

_Lucas kicks out at the youngest member of the friend group. “Stop being so smart all the time, Duck. I don’t even want a different name.”_

_Yerim finishes Lucas’s nails and gestures for Mark to come over. “So what would you change your name to, Duckie?” She asks as she brings out the lilac nail polish, ignoring Mark’s disgusted face._

_“Haechan!” Donghyuck replies proudly. “I tried asking my dads if I could legally change my name, but they kind of gave me this skeptical look and went back to what they were doing. I guess that’s a no.”_

_“Haechan is kinda fitting, actually,” Mark smiles._

_“It is,” Lucas admits begrudgingly._

_“I used to want an English name when I was little, but Mom refused. But I really like the name Katy,” Yerim says. “Or maybe I’d just drop the ‘M’ in my name and go by Yeri. I like that, too.”_

_“How bout you, Mark?”_

_Mark tries not to pay attention to the fact that it’s Lucas who asked the question. “I don’t know. I like being Mark.”_

_Donghyuck snorts. “Mark doesn’t even fit you. It sounds the name of a twice removed and boring uncle. Or a big business tycoon.”_

_“I’m neither,” Mark replies flatly. As an afterthought, he adds, “But I guess I could always go by Mark Lee as a pen name. You know, after my favorite annoying brat.”_

_“Aww!” Donghyuck sticks his tongue out._

_By the time Yerim finishes painting his nails, Mark remembers that he still has one last bag of family sized chips in the kitchen. He excuses himself from the room, ignoring Yerim’s precautionary shout of, “Don’t mess up those nails!”_

_Sometimes the other parents swing by on Friday nights to have their own hangout session. Mark waves to his dad, Taeyong, Taeyeon and her new girlfriend Tiffany as he makes his way over to the kitchen. None of the adults bat an eye at his tiger face mask or lilac nails._

_When he reaches the kitchen, he hears his mom’s and Jaehyun’s voices. That’s nothing new, because they often have science-related discussions when they’re together. Jaehyun and Taeyong actually moved to Vancouver because Jaehyun accepted a prestigious position at the lab Wendy used to work at, so the two scientists know each other well._

_“Jae,” Wendy’s voice says. She sounds incredibly urgent, which isn’t something Mark’s used to with his mother. “When did you find out?”_

_Mark freezes. He hides behind the doorframe to listen._

_Jaehyun sighs. “Just yesterday. I’ve been communicating with Dr. Moon Taeil and Professor Kim Doyoung from Seoul for a while, and last night I had a breakthrough. Doyoung-hyung tested it out. None of us could believe it actually worked.”_

_“So what are you going to do now? Will you publish it?” Wendy asks in a hushed voice._

_“I can’t,” Jaehyun responds immediately. “At least, not yet. We’ll be the laughingstock of the scientific world until we get more proof. None of us are even sure if it’s steady yet. Doyoung-hyung only went back a few hours, but that’s not enough. I need to do more work.”_

_Wendy lets out a laugh of disbelief. “Holy shit,” she marvels. “Holy shit.”_

_Mark furrows his brow. What on earth are they talking about? What could be so top secret Jaehyun’s refusing to publish a report? What does he mean by Professor Kim going back a few hours?_

_Just then, he hears the shuffling of feet towards him. Hastily, Mark scrambles out of his hiding spot and enters the kitchen as casually as possible. “Hey Mom. Hey Doc,” he greets with a small salute._

_“Hi,” Wendy smiles, no sign of her earlier disbelief. She ruffles his hair, remarks, “Your face mask is a little crooked.”_

 

**2019**

“Didn’t work out?” Jongwoon asks without raising his eyes from the register.

Park Sunyoung silently shakes her head. He remembers her well—she’s beautiful, and she came in with a man when she bought the phone. The man had prominent cheekbones and a cute, if not a bit awkward, smile. He hadn’t bought anything, but Sunyoung had discovered the phone hidden behind a wolf head.

The man, Jongwoon notes, is not here today.

Jongwoon gives Sunyoung a refund check, which she accepts with an empty “Thanks.” He’s about to go back to his balance book when he realizes that she’s still there. Sunyoung sways back and forth awkwardly, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Did you know?” She asks quietly. 

Jongwoon can’t look her in the eyes. With those three words came an overwhelming wave of guilt. Why couldn’t he warn her? Why couldn’t he just speak?

Most importantly, why was this happening to so many good people?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jongwoon finds himself saying instead.

These days, it’s getting easier to lie.

 

**_2044_ **

_Wendy finds an unfamiliar black notebook one day while she’s cleaning Mark room._

_She didn’t intend on cleaning the underside of his bed, because that’s pretty much a lost cause. However, she accidentally knocks his lucky pen off his desk and it rolls under the bed. When she reaches down to get it, she finds the journal sitting on top of the condom box John got for Mark as a half-joke, half-serious matter._

_And she respects his privacy. She really does. But he’s been acting weird lately, and she’s his mother who just wants to know if he’s okay. So she opens the notebook._

 

**2020**

When Byun Baekhyun acquired the phone, he wasn’t the one who actually purchased it. He entered the store with whom Jongwoon assumed to be his fiancé or husband, as they wore matching diamond rings on their fourth fingers.

Baekhyun had been busy examining the accessory table while the lanky man with elfish ears stumbled upon the teal dial phone. Literally stumbled upon the phone, because it had been in the middle of the aisle.

The tall man had called Baekhyun over to ask what he thought, and Baekhyun seemed to like it. So they came over to the register together when they were done shopping, and although the tall man paid, Jongwoon only caught Byun Baekhyun’s name. 

In the back of his mind, Jongwoon wondered which man would be the one to return the phone. If he had to place a bet, it would be the shorter one. There wasn’t any logic behind the guess, but it somehow made sense.

Jongwoon ended up winning that one.

 

**_2044_ **

_John groans as he lifts a heavy box up the stairs. “Remind me again why we have all this shit?” He shouts down to the basement._

_Wendy laughs. “Because you’re a hoarder in the making!”_

_“Accurate.”_

_While John’s upstairs, Wendy continues organizing miscellaneous items into boxes. Who knew John used to use a pager? Wendy hasn’t seen one of those since she was five years old and her parents used them. And why on earth is there an entire stack of graphing calculators? As far as she knows, lawyers and judges don’t need them._

_She reaches under a shelf and her fingers grip some kind of coil. Confused, she pulls the item out to find a pretty teal dial phone._

_“Hey John!” She calls._

_“Yeah?” John ducks back into the basement._

_Wendy holds up the phone. “When did you get this?”_

_John pauses, his eyes widening just a fraction. “Huh. I didn’t know I still had that.”_

_“It’s from back when Ten…” He trails off and shakes his head. “Sorry. You know what I mean. We used it as a landline in our apartment, but no one ever called so I eventually got it canceled. I forgot I still had it.”_

_Wendy raises brow. “It’s a very weird thing to bring all the way to Canada,” she remarks._

_“Yeah. I don’t really remember,” John admits. “It still looks nice though.”_

_Wendy examines the phone more closely. Besides the beautiful color, the phone is fairly simple. The dial numbers are black and the surface of the phone is smooth and free of scratches. And remarkably, the phone’s not even dusty—which definitely doesn’t make sense, considering it’s been sitting on the bottom shelf in their basement for at least sixteen years._

_The phone doesn’t quite make sense, and that’s exactly why Wendy holds on to it._

 

**2022**

The first time Jongwoon met Kang Seulgi, his first impression was that she looked like a cat. There was just something about the shape of her eyes and the set to her mouth that made her look especially feline in a pretty way.

The second time Jongwoon meets Kang Seulgi, she looks more like a leopard.

“Okay,” she says as she practically throws the dial phone towards Jongwoon, who barely catches it in time. “I’m not gonna bother interrogating you because I’d like to believe you would’ve warned me if you knew what was going to happen? Right?”

Jongwoon doesn’t reply.

Seulgi’s eyes narrow. “ _Right_?” She repeats warningly.

“Of course,” Jongwoon finally says. “I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about, but if you’d like to tell me I could possibly offer my help.”

“Forget it,” Seulgi rolls her eyes. She snatches a piece of paper on the counter and scribbles something on it.

“This is my number,” she says. “And if you ever find something out or sell this phone again, you’d better call me straight away. I mean it.”

 

**_2044_ **

_Dear Wendy Son,_

_If you would like to help your husband, then please consider following the instructions below._

  1. _You should’ve discovered the presence of a teal dial phone by now. Dial each number in numerical order and wait._
  2. _The one who answers your call will die in exactly two months. Please inform them of that._
  3. _The one who answers your call will most likely be confused. Understandable. Please be gentle and patient with them, as they will face tough times in the future._
  4. _You will already know how the receiver will die, but it is up to you as to whether you wish to inform them of the method or not. It is, however, highly recommended that you do._
  5. _The receiver’s name is Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, or Ten for short. If you are not already aware of his relation to your husband, please read the back side of this letter for a full profile._
  6. _More instructions are to come later. Do keep an eye out._
  7. _Remember this: Only you can help._



_Have a great day._

 

**2024**

Ten wakes up the next morning with his face buried in the living room carpet and a very amused Johnny standing over him.

“Comfortable?” Johnny teases.

“Very,” Ten replies sarcastically. “So very comfortable I never want to get up again.”

“You may want to. You have some pretty great carpet imprints on your face.”

Ten glares as he sits upright, stretching out his sore back. “How did I even get here?”

“No clue,” Johnny shrugs. “I just woke up and found you here. Did you use the bathroom some time last night and just forgot your way back?”

“That sounds like me,” Ten winces as he cracks his neck. As soft as the carpet is, it really isn't all that comfortable. “Anyway, can I get like, pancakes for breakfast or something?”

“We literally had waffles in bed yesterday.”

“Painkillers then, at the very least?”

“Done deal. And the pancakes are already ready.”

“Now I remember why I married you.”

 

**_2044_ **

_Mark enters his room after he finishes his shower. He absently traces over the initials on his wall like he always does for luck, smiling at the letters representing the people he loves._

_He throws the towel he’d used to dry his hair onto the bed and is about to open his Physics textbook when he notices a binder on his desk._

 

_A Study on Time Travel and Cross-Universe Connections_

_Dr. Jaehyun Jung, PhD_

_Dr. Taeil Moon, PhD_

_Prof. Doyoung Kim, M.chem_

_Dr. Wendy Son, PhD_

 

_While Mark’s absorbed in the contents of the binder, Wendy passes by his open door. She smiles at his back and leaves him be._

 

**2067**

It’s been a good fifteen or so years since Yerim moved from Vancouver to Toronto, but she still remembers every nook and cranny of her old neighborhood. 

Her mother and stepmother still live in the same house, which is good because otherwise Yerim would have to go up to some stranger and ask them if she could dig around in their lawn. Thankfully, Taeyeon and Tiffany already know about the time capsule, so Yerim’s free to take a shovel to the grass all she wants.

Yerim’s not surprised by the absence of her best friends. Saeron lives a busy life as a successful actress, and she’s currently in the middle of shooting some blockbuster. She’s already apologized profusely over the phone, promising Yerim she’d hang out with her once Yerim gets the opportunity to visit her in Los Angeles. 

Lucas hasn’t been answering any of Yerim’s texts, emails or calls for a solid two months now. She gets it, really. It’s not easy to talk to people when your husband of eight years has just passed away from a car accident. 

Jungwoo, the aforementioned husband, isn’t showing up for obvious reasons.

Still, it makes Yerim feel disappointed in some twisted, unreasonable way. She knows Saeron has a packed schedule and Lucas is still grieving over Jungwoo, but twelve year old Yerim always believed she and her three best friends would come back for the time capsule. 

_How cruel the world can be_ , she thinks sadly.

Her shovel hits metal, and she knows she’s got it. The time capsule is just an old chest, and if she remembers correctly, they buried a bunch of science medals and pictures in it. With a smile, she flips open the lid.

Inside the capsule rests an unfamiliar teal dial phone and a letter with Yerim’s name on it.

Her fingers trembling, Yerim plucks the letter out and rips it open.

 

_Dear Yerim Kim,_

_If you would like to help your friend, then please consider following the instructions below._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> make sure to read the next chapter! The story ends here, but I'm posting an explanation on my inspiration for this story and also how the logic of this universe works.


	8. Inspiration & Explanation

**Inspiration**

I've always been fascinated by time travel. I remember watching Disney channel shows when I was a kid, and for some reason that one episode of  _Hannah Montana_ where Miley goes back in time and has to make sure her parents actually meet was one of my favorites. Then in that one  _Wizards of Waverly Place_ movie where the Russos have to compete because they screwed up the past also became one of my friends. After that, my obsession over time travel really kicked off.

I like to think of the concept for this story to be a mix of  _Back to the Future_ and  _Arrival._ The former because Mark could have made sure Ten died so his parents could meet and Mark would subsequently be born, but that's not why he goes back. Most of my inspiration came from  _Arrival_ and the short film  _This Time_ by the Jubilee Project, both of which I highly recommend. Without giving any spoilers, the main characters of both those films are faced with a big question: If you knew something will end badly, would you sacrifice all the happiness you experienced to make sure the bad thing never happens? Could you give up everything important that you go through just because you know the end result?

In both of those films, the main characters decide they will be happy. They choose the path that ultimately ends in pain but gives them so much joy while they're walking it. I was blown away by that idea and wanted to incorporate it here. But I thought I'd make both Ten and Mark deal with this question in very different ways.

Also, I have to bring up something very important. I used to be really into Got7 like two years ago, and there is this incredible fic called  _The Grandfather Paradox_ by symmetrophobic that I highly recommend for all Got7 fans. It's amazing. But then i fell out of Got7 and forgot that fic exists. Around Chapter Four of this story, I restumbled upon it and realized that there are some similarities.

 _The Grandfather Paradox_ features married couple Jaebum and Jinyoung with their son Yugyeom, and then one day a mysterious teenager named Yugyeom is welcomed into their home. The premise and the climax are similar to what I wrote, and I acknowledge that. However, I did not mean in any way to copy the ideas from that story, and I would like to apologize if mine is considered too similar. Personally and without comparing the quality of the stories, I don't think the stories are that similar.  _The Grandfather Paradox_ is considerably darker than mine, as it deals with themes of abuse, child escapism, and the reasons behind and for the time travel are much different. Symmetrophobic's story is also more concentrated on the main three/four characters, and they do an excellent job of creating an air of mystery. I spread my story out a little more by introducing more characters and side stories, and overall I think the tone is quite different. But again, if some readers find them to be too similar, I apologize.

 

**Explanation**

There are only two reasons why you would acquire the phone: Either because you are going to die, or because you can "help" the one who died.

Let's look at the people who received the calls. They are all people who died too young and too suddenly and left someone who loved them behind. Because of the effect the deaths had on Joohyun and Johnny, Sooyoung and Wendy, two people who love them either platonically or romantically, are given the phone to be a caller. Seulgi and Ten were told that they don't have much time left, and now they must make a choice. They can choose to let events happen as they are, they can save themselves by killing their loved one, or they can force a Reset. The Reset turns back time and brings you to a life where you never and will never meet the one you left behind. In short, no matter what you choose, you can't be with them.

Why does the universe work like this? Why isn't it as simple as Ten not hitting his head against the sink or calling an ambulance? Because the world is all about give and take. In order to be happy, you often have to suffer, too. If you want to cheat death, it's not that simple. In all the mythology I've read where someone tries to bring themselves or someone else back to life, it always either backfires or some horrible consequence happens as a result. So the only way for both Ten and Johnny to live is for a Reset. Ten will, however, remember everything from his life with Johnny, and the caller will remember, too. Hence why Sooyoung still knows what happened with Joohyun and Seulgi.

And then Mark comes in. He's from the future; he doesn't belong in this timeline at all. With all the other people who received calls, they had to make their decisions completely by themselves. Mark, however, complicates things. Because Ten grows to care for him and ultimately chooses to let himself die so Mark can still live. Unlike all the others, Ten doesn't Reset. Partly because he doesn't want to live a life without Johnny in it, and also because he believes Johnny will be happier in the future (which, as Mark and Wendy both know, Johnny is happy but still in love with Ten).

Jaehyun, with the help of Doctors Taeil, Doyoung, and Wendy, discovers the equation for time travel, which is what Mark overhears him and Wendy talking about in the kitchen. Wendy already knew something was up with Mark, and then she finds his notebook planning out his ideas to save Ten. She lets him go because she loves him so much she believes he will do the right thing. She makes the calls too because she loves Johnny so much she's willing to be left behind if that means Johnny can be the one he truly loves. So when Mark finds the binder on his desk, guess who left it there?

So Mark travels back in time and gets the internship so he can get close with Ten and Johnny. He comes up with the idea of killing himself. The universe strictly requires a death or some other big sacrifice to take place, but what if it's the death of someone who shouldn't even exist? Mark challenges the universe by playing God and changing everything, which successfully allows Ten and Johnny to both live. But because Johnny never meets Wendy in this timeline, Mark ceases to exist at all. Nobody has any memory of him.

So why is Joohyun remembering Seulgi? How are the others all suddenly able to meet their loved ones again? 

Also because of Mark. His mere presence disrupts the natural flow of the world. It's up to your interpretation as to whether or not the other couples eventually reconcile or let each other go. Personally, I'd like to believe Seulgi and Joohyun get a happy ending.

And then there's Jongwoon. In Chapter Five, Jongwoon packs up his thrift store and leaves Seoul. He claims to have never been cursed by the phone, but that's because he wasn't cursed; Ryeowook was. Ryeowook chose to Reset, and because of that Jongwoon has no memory of ever being with Ryeowook. He keeps getting the phone at his store because, as he said in the same chapter, he feels like a dealer. He physically can't warn any buyers or get rid of the phone itself, so he's effectively ruining their lives, in a sense.

At the very end, forty year old Yerim returns to her old house in Vancouver to dig up the time capsule that she buried with her three best friends. Mark and Donghyuck are replaced with Saeron and Jungwoo, because Mark obviously no longer exists and Taeyong and Jaehyun wouldn't move to Canada unless they already knew someone there. And whether or not Yerim makes the call to save Jungwoo is completely up to you.

Thank you all for reading and enjoying this story. 

 

**UPDATED EXPLANATION!!!**

Alright, so I realize there are some things I forgot to touch on. I'll go through them in a list.

1) Why couldn't Ten find Seulgi when he looked her up online?

This was my fault because it was a plot point I originally had planned out but then kinda forgot. Basically, I was going to have Seulgi change her last name to Bae because she still wanted to be connected to Joohyun in some way. Then I remembered that changing your family name is pretty frowned upon, and while I was debating over whether or not to keep it in, I ended up forgetting. Whoops.

 

2) I received a comment asking why Seulgi said Sooyoung didn't remember the calls. So what's up with that?

This is my fault again because the writing was a bit unclear. In Chapter Five, when Seulgi goes to Ten's apartment, she explains her story. Pre-phone, she was best friends with Sooyoung and dating Joohyun. So when she received the calls, she immediately recognized that it was Sooyoung's voice. But the Sooyoung at the time had no idea what Seulgi was talking about, because it was Future Sooyoung making the calls. 

 

3) Does Mark still exist in any way?

That's unclear. At the very end, Yerim is alone because her friends are either busy, mourning, or dead. Jungwoo died in a car accident, and because of that Lucas is grieving. Because Lucas is one of Yerim's best friends and she loves him, she receives the phone to potentially save Jungwoo. So no, the letter at the end doesn't have to do with Mark. In my mind, Mark is completely gone because the only way he could have been born was for Johnny to marry Wendy. But hey, who knows. Maybe in some way, he does return.

 

4) Why does Seulgi become a hermit and a "tortured artist"?

Grief. She Reset, which allowed both her and Joohyun to live. But after the Reset has happened, Seulgi realizes that it's worse to live a life where she can see Joohyun and remembers everything about her but can't actually meet her. She cuts Sooyoung out of her life because Seulgi partly blames Sooyoung for ever making the calls in the first place. Remember: If you receive the letter, you don't have to follow the instructions. But Sooyoung did, which makes Seulgi upset.

 

5) Why do Ryeowook, Junsu, Jeongsu, Yuri, Jinki, Sunyoung, Baekhyun, and Seulgi all choose to Reset but Ten doesn't?

At the very end of  _Arrival_ , the main character says, "If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?" For her, the answer is no. The same goes for Ten. The others, however, all said yes. They choose to Reset because they all originally thought it would be the best compromise. However, as you can see, they all regret their decisions later. It doesn't mean that they loved their person any less than Ten loves Johnny, but that they didn't consider everything the way Ten did. For Ten, he didn't just think of himself; he thought of Johnny and Mark and Wendy. He's also seen the way the Reset has affected Seulgi, which further pushes him away from that decision.

 

6) Are the effects of the Reset completely reversed now?

I left that ambiguous on purpose. Remember, the rules of the Reset are that the receiver must go through life without ever having met their loved one but they'll still have all the memories. The loved one doesn't. The caller will also know everything. But after Mark's sacrifice that screws up the universe, the others are allowed to meet their loved ones again. Maybe the loved ones will remember everything, or maybe the couples can start afresh. But at the same time, maybe nothing will happen between them. Like I said earlier, it's up to your imagination.

 

7) How does the phone get into the time capsule?

That's up to you to decide.

 

8) What happens to Wendy after all this? 

Also up to you.


	9. a second epilogue of sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I love suffering.

**_15_ **

"Do you believe in fate or soulmates?"

Yerim lowers her book to reveal her disgusted--and very confused--expression. "The fuck are you on about?" She demands. "You're not about to confess your undying love to me, are you?"

Reflexively, Mark reels back in shock, nearly hitting his head against his dresser. He clutches his chest like he's trying to protect his modesty, yells, "Hell no!" at the top of his lungs.

"Phew," Yerim lets out a sigh of relief. She picks her book back up but won't stop staring at Mark with questioning eyes. "But really Markie, what's up? You don't seem like the type of person to think about fate and all that shit."

It's hard to explain, but somehow, Mark's always had this feeling that something felt off about his life. Like he was hanging in some balance, held by a rapidly thinning string. Like there was something that was being hidden by him, and the person who held the knife over the thread would decide everything.

"It's just," he hesitates, biting down on his lip to bide some time. "I don't know, Yerim. I keep on feeling like I'm missing something. Something super important."

Yerim just rolls her eyes. "It sounds like you've been watching too many dramas. I mean, I guess fate is real to an extent, but what can you do about it? If it's fated then you can't change it. So why bother stressing so much?"

That's not the answer Mark wanted or was looking for, but he gets her point. Yerim's always been confident and matter-of-fact. She's not someone who gets swept away by inconveniences or troubles, because she can easily forge her own way through. She's tough and resilient, and Mark admires her for that.

He wishes he could be more like her.

 

**_7_ **

John gently pushes Mark forwards. "Hey bud, meet Donghyuck," he coaxes.

Despite being only a year younger than Mark, Donghyuck is considerably shorter. But that doesn't stop him from swaggering right up to Mark's face and leaning in close. "You look like a monkey," he declares loudly in his nasally, high-pitched voice.

Mark, who's already shy by nature, shrinks back in fear and runs to hide behind his mom’s legs. Wendy just laughs--his most favorite sound in the world--and ruffles his hair--his most favorite feeling in the world. "Go on, Markie," she smiles encouragingly. "Donghyuckie is a nice boy."

"He called me a monkey," Mark whimpers.

"And he only meant it because monkeys are cute. Right, Hyuck?" Wendy turns to the younger boy.

Donghyuck merely sniffs and crosses his arms. "And dumb-looking!"

Mark flinches. Why is he even meeting this mean boy? Yerim is the only friend he needs. Where even is Yerim right now? Why is she not here for him in this time of need?

The taller of the two men standing behind Donghyuck chuckles, which makes the shorter one hit him. Mark can't help but blush when the shorter man bends down to greet him because he's just so pretty--even prettier than Wendy but Mark wasn't the one who said that.

"Hi, Markie," the man smiles. He has a very soft voice, which helps Mark relax. "My name is Taeyong, and I'm friends with your dad. I'm sorry about what Donghyuck said, but he's only mean to people he likes."

"Hey!" Donghyuck cries out, only to be restrained by his other father.

Cautiously, Mark lets go of Wendy's leg and takes a step forward, peering at Donghyuck with wide eyes. "So you don't hate me?" He asks quietly.

Donghyuck jumps in shock. "Hating people is mean!" He says, puffing up his chest to emphasize his point. "You look like a dumb monkey, but I think you're okay."

"Oh," Mark pauses. "Thanks?"

Donghyuck lurches forward to grab Mark's arm. "And because you're okay, I've decided that we'll be best friends. No objections?"

"Objections?"

"Come on, bud," John teases. "You should know that word through me."

Mark’s pout deepens and he recedes behind his mother again. He loves his dad, but John scares him a little. He’s very nice, but so tall and quiet and seems to like wearing black capes around for his job. Mark prefers his mom, because she’s warm and likes to hug him all the time.

But then sometimes his dad will smile at him like he’s doing right now, and Mark doesn’t feel so afraid anymore. His mom loves him, and she’s a good person so that means he must be a good person too.

So Mark shyly peeks out at Donghyuck again and says, “You can’t be my best friend because I already have one, but you can be my friend.”

Donghyuck looks absolutely affronted for a second, but then the kid just shrugs. “Cool. I’m okay with that.”

 

**_14_ **

It all happens in less than a week.

On Tuesday, Lucas misses school because he was sick—or so he claimed—and then Mark misses their only shared class on Wednesday because of a dentist appointment. Then Mark’s history class has a full day field trip on Thursday, and on Friday Yerim and Donghyuck have an argument so Mark has to side with the former while Lucas supports the latter. After a whole weekend of Yerim and Donghyuck still being upset with each other, Mark finally sees Lucas again on Monday in last period math.

And damn if that weren't a sight.

Lucas has always been taller than Mark, but recently he just shot up in height. Kun, his dad, liked to joke that Lucas could eat enough for a family of ten but his cheetah-like metabolism would never show it. True enough, Lucas could always be found with a bag of chips or an apple in hand, constantly snacking during all hours of the day. As a result, he could often be found with crumbs on his shirts—and he wore exclusively dark colors because he was a dumb emo like that—and his bag reeked of whatever food his parents made for him.

When Mark sees Lucas walking into math with his mouth wide open as he laughs with a piece of sandwich still in his mouth, he’s suddenly struck with how _pure_ Lucas is. Not in the sense that he’s innocent, because Lucas knows more dirty joke than Mark would like to count. He’s pure because he’s just a happy guy who loves his life, and that makes him beautiful.

“What’s up, Mark?” Lucas says as he plops down on the seat next to Mark. “Did you get number nine? I’m stuck.”

Mark blinks. “Oh,” he says slowly. “What?”

Lucas glances at him in concern. “Did you get question number nine?” He repeats while shoving half his sandwich into his mouth. “I didn’t get it, and my dad refused to help me. He said I need to become more independent or something, but I think that’s just his excuse because he’s too lazy.”

“You probably just interrupted him in the middle of his drama,” Mark mumbles. He clears his throat, says, “But sure, I’ll help. What’re you not getting?”

When Lucas leans closer, Mark wills the burning on his ears to go away.

 

**_16_ **

“I HATE EVERYTHING!” Yerim shouts. “I HATE THAT BITCH AND THAT OTHER BITCH AND ESPECIALLY THAT MOTHERFUCKER WHO THINKS HE’S JUST SO COOL!”

Mark nods absentmindedly. “Mmm. Do tell me more,” he yawns, stretching out his back that’s gotten rather sore from sitting for so long.

“Please do,” Wendy nods in agreement.

“I’d love to hear it,” John hides his grin behind his hand.

Yerim stops pacing around the living room and whirls around to face the three sitting on the couch. They’d been enjoying a peaceful evening of watching reality TV (John, as it turns out, gets _very_ invested in the drama) when the front door banged open and Yerim came storming into the room, her dark hair messy and fanning out behind her. But because it was just Yerim, none of the Seos particularly minded and just let her be.

"So," Yerim shoves Mark aside and instantly cuddles up to Wendy, much to Mark's annoyance. "Earlier this week Lucas and I were gonna be chem partners for this big lab that's like, twenty percent of our grade, but then this fucking bitch literally just shoved me out of the way so her friend could make it to him first. And you know how Lucas just can't say no to people! So by the time I calmed down the urge to stab both of those bitches, the only person left without a partner is this absolute fucking moron who's probably never picked up a textbook in his life. And then he wouldn't let me take control because he said I was too bossy, so he proceeded to  _burn his goddamn shirt._ And then he blamed me! Can you believe this motherfucker?"

"You kiss your mother with that mouth, Yerim?" John comments.

Yerim glares. "She's already got Tiffany for that," she mutters.

Wendy doesn't even look away from the TV as she strokes Yerim's hair. "There there, Yerim. I'm sure your teacher knows whose fault it actually was. I wouldn't worry about getting penalized over something like that."

"Yeah," Mark agrees. "Besides, at the end of the day it's clearly Lucas's fault."

"Damn right it is!" Yerim cries out. 

Suddenly, she snaps upright with her eyes glued to the screen. "Wait, why are you guys watching The Bachelorette? Did John get the remote again?"

"Who else?" Wendy grins.

"It's very entertaining and says a lot about the human conscience!" John insists.

"Sure, Dad," Mark teases. "It's totally not because you're a sucker for romance or whatever you call it."

John merely reaches over and aggressively ruffles his son's head. "I'll have you know that I'm as romantic as they get," he sniffs.

"Oh really? Since when?" Wendy pipes in.

With wife, son, and honorary daughter all howling in laughter, John shuts the TV off and goes up to the master bedroom to "Watch my damn show without any judgment!"

 

_**5** _

"Mommy?"

Wendy glances away from her computer to find Mark nervously twisting his hands together. He only does that when he's feeling really shy about something, and it's an instant red alert when she hears him say "Mommy." A few months ago, he started calling her Mom instead because he wanted to feel more grown up, and he never slips up. So Wendy immediately takes her glasses off and beckons him forth. "Yes, Markie? What's wrong?" She coos, gathering him up in her arms and bracing herself for the worst.

Mark clutches at his mother's sweater and says, "Can I get a treehouse?"

Wendy pauses. "What?"

Pouting, Mark sags down and repeats, "Can I get a treehouse?"

Internally, Wendy breathes out a sigh of relief. At least it's not life-threatening or something upsetting him, she thinks. But also,  _what_? "Why do you want a treehouse?" She asks slowly.

"Because," he mumbles almost inaudibly. "The teacher read this story in class yesterday about a magic tree house, and Yerim and I really want one of our own. But she doesn't have a good tree at her house, so we thought we could put one on that big tree right there," Mark explains, pointing out the window of Wendy's study to the large, sturdy tree in the front yard.

Wendy smiles. _Mark is just too cute._ "Sweetie, you can't just get a treehouse. You need to build one, and that takes a lot of time," she says patiently.

Mark's eyes widen in shock. "Really? Can you build me one then?"

"You have to be very strong to do that," Wendy shakes her head. "I can help, but you'll need to ask your dad too."

"Oh," Mark deflates again with a sad expression. "Okay."

Wendy bites her lip. She's always had a feeling that Mark is more comfortable around her than John, but Mark's response is all the proof she needs. He's a very sweet and shy boy, but whenever he's around his father he just grows even quieter. And Wendy thinks she knows why.

"Hey," she murmurs softly, looking her son straight in the eye. "Your dad is a good person, Markie. He may seem scary, but he's had a difficult life. It's not his fault, okay?"

Mark doesn't say anything.

Sighing, Wendy tucks him in her arms and runs her fingers through his hair. "He loves you very much, but he's not good at showing it. He's been like that for a long time, so don't be afraid. I'm sure if you ask him for a treehouse, he'll immediately drive you to the hardware store to buy supplies. So why don't you go and talk to him?"

Hesitantly, Mark nods and whispers, "Okay, mommy." Then, he jumps off her and dashes down the hall. "But first, bathroom!" He screams at the top of his lungs.

"I didn't need to know that!" Wendy calls back, stifling her laughter.

She's about to turn back to her research when she hears a faint knock on the door. She doesn't need to turn around to know who it is.

"You heard, didn't you?" Wendy says.

The retreating footsteps and subsequent shout of "Daddy!" is all it takes to know.

 

_**16** _

Ever since the confession, Mark's done an exceptionally good job at avoiding Lucas like the plague. It helps that Lucas is so tall, because Mark can easily spot his mop of brown hair anywhere. So whenever he sees the lanky boy appear in the cafeteria or the classroom, Mark will either dash out or hide his face.

The only difficulty is that it's hard to avoid someone who's one of your best friends. Whenever the four friends hang out--which is incredibly frequently--Mark will direct as few words as possible Lucas's way, but it's so fucking awkward. Donghyuck may not know about Mark's crush and rejection, but Yerim does because there's literally nothing about Mark she doesn't know. At first she was sympathetic and helped ease the tension in the air, but now, a month after the rejection, she just shoots Mark dirty glares and mouths,  _Grow the fuck up_ to him whenever he's awkward. But for the most part, Mark ignores her like he ignores Lucas. He's been pretty lucky so far, so clearly it's been working.

And then one day, he runs out of luck.

Mark is in the midst of balancing his stack of textbooks, phone, and water bottle in his arms when he turns a corner of the school, and the sight before him almost makes him drop everything.

Lucas is casually leaning against the brick wall of the school while he makes out with some shorter guy.

 _Okay, Mark. This is totally alright. Definitely not a code red RUN THE FUCK AWAY BEFORE ANYONE SEES YOU_ _type of situation. Yup. Just calmly walk past them and they won't even notice you. Yeah, they're so busy sucking face they probably can't hear anything. Just act normal..._

"Mark?"

 _Well shit_.

Quickly, Mark plasters on the fakest smile ever and turns to face Lucas and his  _friend_. "Oh, hey. Didn't realize that was you. I'm just passing through, so I'll get out of your way and y'all can go back to...whatever."

He's all but ready to make a death dash the whole way home, but then a clear, high-pitched voice stops him in his tracks. "Oh! Is this the famous friend I've heard so much about?"

 _Jungwoo_ _?_ The junior Lucas has been pining on since they were freshman? That Jungwoo?

Lucas grins and gestures for Mark to come over. Like a magnet, Mark automatically zooms over. "Yeah, this is the one and only Mark Seo," Lucas announces grandly, throwing an arm around Mark's shoulder. "Mark, meet Jungwoo. Jungwoo, meet Mark."

"Pleasure," Jungwoo smiles, and Mark almost curses because the guy has a cute eye smile too? What the hell doesn't he have?

"Uh, hey," Mark does an awkward salute. The fact that Lucas's arm is around his shoulder is distracting him way more than he wishes it did. "So, uh, you and Lucas are friends?"

Jungwoo tilts his had in confusion. "Boyfriends," he corrects gently.

Mark nearly drops all his stuff again. "The fuck!"

"Yeah," Lucas grins dopily at the third year. "I asked Woo out almost two months ago, but we didn't tell anyone because it wasn't official until a week ago. Yerim and Donghyuck didn't tell you?"

_Two months ago?_

"I guess they just forgot," Mark mumbles through gritted teeth.

If Lucas and Jungwoo started going out two months ago and Mark confessed to Lucas a month ago...

 _Oh shit_.

"Huh," Lucas scratches his head. "That's pretty weird of them. But every time I tried to talk to you, you'd always run away!"

"Sorry about that," Mark apologizes lifelessly. "Anyway, I gotta head home. But I'll see you at our next planning session?"

"Definitely!"

Mark scurries away as fast as lightning, his heart and mind both working overtime. Lucas and Jungwoo made sense. Mark didn't know much about the junior, but he knew that the two met in a music club two years and that Lucas liked him from the start. Mark's confession had been one of mostly false hope because for a month, Lucas had stopped talking about Jungwoo all the time. Mark had assumed that the crush was gone, so he took a chance. And oh how wrong he'd been.

But, he tells himself, it's okay. Because seeing how casual and friendly Lucas still was to him made Mark realize how childish he'd been about the whole situation. Not everyone Mark likes will like him back, because that's just how the world works. Hell, he's actually kind of happy for Lucas and Jungwoo, now that he thinks about it. One of his best friends getting a boyfriend? That's great news.

Besides, he's only sixteen. He's got all the time in the world to find true love.

 

_**13** _

As Lucas throws the last shovelful of dirt into the now-filled hole, Yerim cheers in excitement. "It's done!" She exclaims triumphantly, proudly smiling down at their accomplishment.

"All because of my labor," Lucas grunts.

"Oh, get over yourself," Yerim waves her hand dismissively. "You literally only filled the six inches. I had to dig this whole hole because none of you showed up on time!"

Donghyuck crosses his arms defiantly. "Excuse me, but it's all my dad's fault! He just had to check his lab results and got so excited over them he forgot I was waiting!"

"I woke up late," Mark explains solemnly.

Yerim ignores both of them. With a serious expression, she says, "Guys, we have to all come back for this. Okay? No exceptions."

"Of course we will," Lucas yawns from where he'd flopped down on the grass. "But when?"

"Hmm," Yerim taps her chin in thought. "How about thirty years?"

Donghyuck shakes his head. "That's way too long," he complains. "And besides, it's too cliché. Pick an unconventional year."

"Fine," Yerim grumbles. "How about when Mark turns forty, then?"

"Why me?" Mark raises a brow.

"Because in a calendar year, your birthday comes last," Yerim replies like it should be obvious.

Mark frowns. "That's some pretty weak logic."

"It's good enough for me," Donghyuck shrugs. "Besides, it'll be in the summer so we'll probably have more free time."

"All cool down here!" Lucas calls.

"Fine," Mark rolls his eyes. "We'll all come back when I turn forty. Deal."

 

_**17** _

The cell only rings twice before she picks up. "Mark fucking Seo," Yerim's voice snaps in agitation. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, mister."

Mark just laughs quietly. "Hey, Yerim. It's been a while."

There's a moment of silence on the other end, and then he hears Yerim take in a deep breath. The next thing Mark knows, Yerim is laying everything down without hesitation.

"You motherfucker!" She yells. "Who the hell do you think you are? Why'd you come up with this stupid ass plan in the first place? To save someone you've never met? I mean, I guess I understand because you love your dad and everything, but is it really worth it, Mark? Is it worth sacrificing yourself just on the off chance that you really can change the future? How do you even know this plan is gonna work? You're a fucking idiot, and you'd better be home tomorrow so I can kick your ass all the way to Mars. You hear me, Mark?"

Patiently, Mark waits for her to finish her tirade before he says, "I had a feeling you'd find the notebook. I've missed you."

Another pause, and this time it comes with a sniffle. "I've missed you too, you piece of shit."

Mark smiles. That sounds like the Yerim he knows. "How's everyone been?"

"I mean," Yerim sighs. "I guess Duck and Lu think you're fine. They don't seem to suspect a thing, but they have missed you a lot, too. Hyuck even threatened to throw away all your Kendrick albums."

"Did he?!"

"Nah. But I did say he could toss out the Kanye instead."

"I hate you."

"Well I hate you, too."

Mark can't help but chuckle. He stares at where he'd just placed his shoes, wallet, and photo album on top of the glass table before making one last call. If this is how he's choosing to end, he first has to let go of everything that important to him. He already left his family, friends, and home, and now he's shedding the last remnants. A voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Yerim's urges him to return the knife to the kitchen, put his shoes back on, pack his bag, and leave. He'll be safe that way--he'll  _live_.

But Mark refuses to live at the expense of his father's happiness.

"You know," he says quietly. "Originally, I wasn't sure if I'd go through with the plan. I know it's in the notebook, but it was just an idea. I used Doc's equation because i thought it would be enough for me to just meet Dad before he became sad, but then I met Ten and I realized..." He trails off, unsure how to explain this phenomenon he's feeling.

"I guess I saw them together, and everything just made sense. I don't doubt the fact that Dad loves Mom, but it's not the same, Yerim. If fate and soulmates are real, Ten would be his."

"Fate is cruel," Yerim replies softly, all the anger gone from her voice. "Mark, the world isn't fair. That's why your dad lost his husband, and that's why my mom married the wrong person and had to deal with him for years before she got out. It's why Lucas doesn't like you back. But the point is that we all get through it eventually. Your dad found Wendy, my mom found Tiffany, and you'll find someone other than Lucas."

Mark's heart clenches at the sound of Lucas's name. "It's not about Lucas," he says, and it's the most honest he's been in a long time. "It's about Dad. I want him to be happy."

"He's happy with you, Mark. And think about your mom. If you change the past, what happens to Wendy?"

Mark freezes. 

Yerim sighs again on the other end. "You haven't thought this through, have you? Did you know that she knows everything? That she's been helping you hide your plan from John? Do you even realize how selfless she's being? She's willing to lose her entire life for the past twenty years for you and John, you fool."

A tear trickles down Mark's cheek. "I took her for granted," he whispers hollowly.

"Damn right you did," Yerim responds grimly.

He thinks of his mother and everything she's done for him. She always let him hide behind her, but at the same time she pushed him to be more adventurous. She was there when he was scared and taught him everything he knew about science. And now it turns out she's been helping him this whole time, even if it means she gets left behind. She'll lose husband, son, and half her life, but she's letting it happen to give everyone a second chance. Mark thought he was so brave and noble, but the bravest one in all of this is Wendy.

And there's no way in hell Mark's about to let her sacrifice be in vain.

"Yerim," he says. "I love you."

The line goes silent. He doesn't need to see or hear her to know that she's crying.

"I love you too, Mark," she replies, choking on every word. "And I know you're not someone who just says things like that, so it can only mean one thing. Right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Well I guess this is the part where I pretend nothing's wrong. Like it's just another normal day, and you'll be coming back to Vancouver soon. So, I'll catch up with you another time because Mom's calling me down for breakfast."

"Gotcha," Mark says. "I'll see you soon, then?"

"Sure."

Yerim hangs up, leaving Mark to silently cry by himself.

When Ten walks out of the bedroom, Mark swallows away the rest of his tears and grips the hilt of the knife. It's okay, he tells himself. It's going to be okay.

If it's for his mother, he'll make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After doing a quick reread of the entire story, I realized that while we learn a lot about Mark through Ten, Wendy, and Yerim, we never actually hear much from his perspective. So I thought I'd just throw in a little more insight on Mark from his own view, as well as bits of Yerim in here because she's a fucking goddess.
> 
> But please don't ask how Mark can call Yerim when he's in the past because I suck at logic.

**Author's Note:**

> I've actually been stewing over this idea for a different fandom for a while, but then I found a way to make it work with Johnny and ten. Johnten are definitely my second favorite ship in NCT, but of course I can't resist throwing in Jaeyong too. And Mark and the rest of the dreamies too because most of them got snubbed in my first fic lol.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Again, I make no promises when it comes to spelling and grammar.


End file.
